2007年VOA标准英语-11 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Raids in Gaza

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
27 September 2007

At least 11 Palestinians, mostly militants², have been killed in two days of Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Israel is weighing even tougher military action.

Israel has launched a wave of air and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. In the deadliest strike, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a jeep, killing³ five members of a militant¹ group called the Army of Islam.

At least a dozen Palestinian rockets have been fired at Israel during the past two days. Israeli spokeswoman Miri Eisin says the situation in Gaza border towns is intolerable.

"Israel will continue to defend all of our citizens at all times," she said.

Last week, Israel declared Gaza an "enemy entity," clearing the way for possible cuts in vital supplies such as fuel, water, and electricity. Israel blames the escalation⁴ on the Islamic militant group Hamas, which seized control of Gaza three months ago, routing the forces of its rival, the moderate Fatah faction⁵ led by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

"The Hamas government is a terrorist organization-led government and there is no other way to look at it," she said.

Hamas defends the rocket attacks as legitimate⁶ acts of resistance to the Israeli occupation. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum described the Israeli raids and proposed economic sanctions as collective punishment.

"This is a type of violence and terrorism toward all of [the] Palestinian[s]," he said.

With nearly 2,000 Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza during the past year, Israel's government is running out of patience. Defense⁷ Minister Ehud Barak said he is moving closer to ordering a large-scale military offensive in Gaza.

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 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。

3 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。

4 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 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。