2007年VOA标准英语-Hamas, Fatah Fighting Spreads in Gaza Strip

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
13 June 2007

Fighting between the Palestinian factions¹ Hamas and Fatah is spreading, bringing to more than 60 the number of people killed during the past few days in the Gaza Strip. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem, there was also violence in the West Bank, and U.N. officials say they are scaling back their operations in Gaza after two local U.N. employees were killed.

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Palestinians react as members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fire weapons, 13 Jun 2007

Gaza City was a scene of chaos³ on Wednesday as demonstrators protesting the factional fighting were caught in crossfire⁴ between Hamas and Fatah militants⁵. At least two of the demonstrators were killed in the incident and a number of others injured, in the worst day of violence so far in the deadly power struggle between the two factions.

Speaking a short while later in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to all factions to put down their guns.

Mr. Abbas, who heads Fatah, says all factions are to blame for the violence and that if the fighting does not stop it will result in the total destruction of Gaza.

Mr. Abbas' plea fell on deaf ears as fighting escalated⁶ late in the day. A one-ton bomb destroyed the headquarters of a Fatah security force in the town of Khan Younis, killing⁷ a number of Fatah personnel.

Earlier, Hamas militants captured a key Fatah checkpoint on the main north-south road and appeared to consolidate⁸ their hold in the northern Gaza Strip where they overran a Fatah security compound on Tuesday, and issued a series of ultimatums⁹ to Fatah to disarm¹⁰.

Reporter Mohammed Dawass says Fatah militants are not likely to accept Hamas domination in the area. "Well if this continues I do not think Fatah will continue to just stand still," said Dawass. "They are going to react and there will be a reaction and things will just get worse."

Violence also spread to the West Bank where more than a dozen Hamas militants were abducted¹¹ in Nablus. Fatah gunmen attacked a Hamas TV production company office in the city.

Fatah officials have threatened to pull out of the Palestinian unity¹² government if the fighting does not stop, but Hamas leaders blame Fatah for the violence, saying Fatah security forces are behind a crime wave of kidnappings and violence, and that Hamas security forces have been marginalized by Mr. Abbas. The two factions have been in a bitter power struggle since Hamas won legislative¹³ elections last year.

In Gaza, civilians¹⁴ stayed indoors and normal life came to a halt. U.N. officials said they will be forced to scale back their food delivery and medical services programs after two Palestinian U.N. workers were killed in crossfire, but they have no intention of shutting down operations.

1 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

2 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

4 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

5 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。

6 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。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

9 ultimatums   

最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Environmental groups in Nevada and the Midwest have issued similar ultimatums. 内华达和中西部的环保团体也发布了类似的最后通牒。
• A proactive teacher doesn't deliver ultimatums. [先发制人式]师并不下最后通牒。

10 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

11 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

12 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

13 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

14 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。