VOA标准英语2008年-Israeli Cabinet Ministers Call for Assassinatio

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
20 January 2008

Israel is threatening to target the leader of the Islamic guerrilla group Hezbollah in Lebanon. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the threats came in response to a fiery¹ speech that infuriated Israeli officials.

At the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, several Israeli ministers called for the assassination² of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"Nasrallah is a madman, and I do not know why he is still breathing," said Minister Yitzhak Cohen. He said Nasrallah should have been killed a long time ago because he is a "dangerous enemy" of the State of Israel.

Cohen was responding to a gloating speech by Nasrallah on Saturday in Beirut, his first public appearance in nearly a year.

Nasrallah told tens of thousands of supporters that Hezbollah is holding body parts of Israeli soldiers left behind in the Lebanon War in 2006, including heads, hands and legs.

The speech appeared aimed at pressuring Israel to accept a prisoner exchange. But Cabinet Minister Meir Sheetrit said Nasrallah had crossed all red lines, and Israel would not respond to what he described as "inhumane" demands.

"Israel should not negotiate with Nasrallah," Sheetrit said. "It should liquidate³ him."

Israel confirms that the body parts of some Israeli soldiers were left behind in Lebanon. But its biggest concern is winning the release of two soldiers whose kidnapping by Hezbollah sparked the war. It is not known if the soldiers are alive or dead, and Nasrallah kept Israel guessing: He did not say a word about their fate.

1 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

2 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

3 liquidate   

v.偿付，清算，扫除；整理，破产

参考例句：

• A unanimous vote was taken to liquidate the company.全体投票一致通过停业清理公司。
• They have not hesitated in the past to liquidate their rivals.过去他们曾毫不犹豫地铲除对手。