2007年VOA标准英语-Israeli Lawmakers Approve Leave of Absence for

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
25 January 2007

Israeli President Moshe Katsav shouts during a press conference at his Jerusalem residence, 24 Jan 2007

A parliamentary committee of the Israeli Knesset on Thursday approved a leave of absence for the country's president who could be indicted¹ soon on charges of rape² and abuse of power. VOA's Jim Teeple has details from our Jerusalem bureau.

After a bitter day-long debate a parliamentary committee agreed to declare President Moshe Katsav temporarily incapacitated for three months. Mr. Katsav requested the leave of absence after Israel's attorney general said he had enough evidence to charge Mr. Katsav with rape and abuse of power.

The allegations are based on the testimony³ of four women who worked for the veteran Israeli politician. Mr. Katsav has served as Israel's ceremonial head of state since 2000.

In an emotional news conference Wednesday night, Mr. Katsav denied the charges, saying he was the victim of a smear⁴ campaign by Israel's media, and blackmail⁵ by his accusers. At the same time Mr. Katsav said he will immediately resign his post if a formal indictment⁷ against him is issued. Under Israeli law, he is allowed one opportunity to present his case at a hearing before a formal indictment can be made.

Mr. Katsav is facing a growing chorus to resign. On Wednesday, Israel's prime minister and foreign minister both said under the present circumstances, he could no longer perform his official duties. Speaking Thursday, Tourism Minister, Isaac Herzog, whose father served as Israel's sixth president, said the institution of the presidency⁸ is at stake.

"I pray for the President to be fully⁹ acquitted¹⁰. At the present circumstances of preserving the sustainability and the importance of the institution of the presidency in Israel, and in order to preserve the cleanliness of Israeli public life, the president should resign at once," said Herzog.

While parliament has approved a leave of absence for Mr. Katsav, many Knesset members want to move forward with impeachment¹¹ proceedings¹².

Mr. Katsav currently enjoys presidential immunity¹³ and can only be tried in criminal court if he resigns, is impeached¹⁴ by three-quarters of Israel's parliament, or after his seven-year term ends in July. More than 30 lawmakers, ten more than necessary, have signed a petition to begin immediate⁶ impeachment proceedings. Mr. Katsav can only be impeached if 90 members in Israel's 120-seat Knesset vote to do so - something most analysts¹⁵ say is currently unlikely to happen.

While Mr. Katsav has loudly proclaimed his innocence¹⁶, polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis do not believe him. On average about 70 percent of Israelis polled in different surveys say Mr. Katsav should resign immediately with about 30 percent saying he should not.

No Israeli president has ever been formally charged with a criminal offense¹⁷, although Mr. Katsav's predecessor¹⁸ Ezer Weizman resigned before his term ended amid allegations that he received about $300,000 worth of gifts from a French businessman. 

As Mr. Katsav stepped aside on Thursday, parliamentary speaker Dalia Itzik took over his official duties on an acting¹⁹ basis, becoming the first woman to serve as Israel's ceremonial head of state.

1 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

4 smear   

v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
• There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。

5 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

11 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

12 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

13 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

14 impeached   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

• Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

17 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

18 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

19 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。