VOA常速英语2007年-Hamas Reportedly Drafting Terms of a Truce with

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
22 December 2007

The Islamic militant¹ group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is seeking a cease-fire with Israel. But Israel has rejected the offer, as we hear from Robert Berger at the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

Israel Radio says Hamas is drafting terms for a truce² and trying to get other Palestinian factions³ to halt rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas did not comment on the report, but it first offered a truce earlier this week after Israeli air strikes killed 13 Palestinian militants⁴, including two top commanders of the Islamic Jihad group.

Israel says Hamas is only seeking a cease-fire, because it is taking a beating from the army.

"Hamas is a hostile entity⁵, so we are not going to relate to any of Hamas' proposals," said Defense⁶ Ministry⁷ official David Hacham.

Rocket attacks on Israeli border communities have escalated⁸ since Hamas routed the Fatah forces of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from Gaza six months ago.  In response, Israel has tightened⁹ crippling economic sanctions on Gaza, and, recently, it has stepped up air raids and ground incursions.

Chacham says the truce offer is too little, too late.

"Israel will not suffer these terrorist actions," he said.  "And, I think, we are going to see in the future more military operations, in order to put an end to this phenomenon from the Palestinian side."

Even if Hamas wants a truce, it may have a hard time bringing other militant factions on board. The Islamic Jihad, which has been hit hard in the recent fighting, said it is not time for a cease-fire, but rather, for revenge.

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 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

3 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

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

9 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。