2007年VOA标准英语-Hamas Marks First Anniversary of Election Victo

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
26 January 2007

The Islamic militant¹ group Hamas is marking the one year anniversary of its landslide² victory in Palestinian elections. But as Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the occasion was marred³ by fresh fighting between rival Palestinian factions⁵ that left at least 15 people dead.

 
An armed guard stands by as supporters of the Islamic Hamas movement attend a rally marking first anniversary of election victory at Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip, 26 Jan 2007
Chanting "Allah is great," several thousand Palestinians rallied in the Gaza Strip to mark the election victory that brought Hamas to power a year ago. But celebrations were dramatically scaled back after a fresh outbreak of deadly fighting between gunmen from Hamas and the rival Fatah faction⁴. The situation was so tense and dangerous that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas cancelled a planned appearance at the rally.

The fighting has raised fears of civil war and underscores a turbulent year of Hamas rule. The Hamas-led government has been crippled by international sanctions because of its refusal to renounce⁶ violence and recognize Israel. As a result, Palestinians have plunged⁷ deeper into poverty.

Palestinian human rights activist⁸ Bassam Eid says Hamas rule has been a failure.

"The Palestinians should think about their future," Eid said. "Otherwise, with Hamas, there is no Palestinian future at all."

 
The V-sign for victory is silhouetted⁹ behind a Palestinian national flag during rally in support of  Fatah movement in West Bank village of Tarqumia near Hebron, 26 Jan 2007
Nevertheless, Hamas still enjoys popularity, says David Horowitz, editor of Israel's English language daily Jerusalem Post.

"It might seem to us watching from the outside obvious that Hamas has been a disaster for the Palestinians, that their insistent¹⁰ refusal to accommodate to the notion of Israel has cut funding, it's turned the PA [Palestinian Authority] into a pariah¹¹ regime; and yet you see opinion polls and you get the sense that the Palestinian public has not turned on Hamas," he said.

One reason is that with no movement on the peace process, Hamas's call to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank through jihad, or holy war, has broad appeal. Hamas is given credit for forcing Israel to withdraw from Gaza in 2005.

But with Hamas crippled by sanctions, moderate Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas wants to topple the government and replace it with a new regime that would be more acceptable to the international community. But he is too weak to confront Hamas by disbanding the government or setting a date for early elections.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

3 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

4 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

5 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

6 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

7 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 silhouetted   

显出轮廓的，显示影像的

参考例句：

• We could see a church silhouetted against the skyline. 我们可以看到一座教堂凸现在天际。
• The stark jagged rocks were silhouetted against the sky. 光秃嶙峋的岩石衬托着天空的背景矗立在那里。

10 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

11 pariah   

n.被社会抛弃者

参考例句：

• Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village.不一会儿，汤姆碰上了村里的少年弃儿。
• His landlady had treated him like a dangerous criminal,a pariah.房东太太对待他就像对待危险的罪犯、对待社会弃儿一样。