VOA常速英语2008年-Israeli Military Operation in Gaza Kills Nearly

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
01 March 2008

At least 46 Palestinians have been killed in escalating¹ Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip.  Palestinian hospital officials say a number of the Palestinians killed were civilians².  The others are believed to be Palestinian militants⁴.  The attacks, which have brought sharp condemnation⁵ from Palestinian officials, are casting a shadow over peace efforts. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

There was panic in Gaza as Israeli tanks and aircraft launched attacks in the northern part of the Strip, retaliating⁶ for Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel. The raids sparked heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants around the Gaza towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabalya, areas used to fire rockets across the border. Palestinian officials said it was the deepest Israeli incursion in several months.

In response, militants fired more Iranian-made Grad rockets into Ashkelon, extending the front line to an Israeli city with a population of more than a 100,000. Until now, most Palestinian rocket fire was directed at the smaller town of Sderot.

Israel says the Islamic militant³ group Hamas, which rules Gaza, crossed a red line by targeting Ashkelon.  Israeli analyst⁷ Dan Scheuftan says it is time to take off the gloves in dealing⁸ with Hamas.

"Anybody in certain areas where rockets are being used against Israel, who can be suspected of anyhow being involved in it, will be killed; and if some innocent people will be killed, well this is what happens in time of war. On our side, only innocent people are being killed," he said.

Hamas, which refuses to renounce⁹ violence or recognize Israel, seized power in Gaza last June, routing the Fatah forces of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Despite his differences with Hamas, Mr. Abbas's government in the West Bank harshly condemned¹⁰ the Israeli raids in Gaza and threatened to suspend peace talks with Israel.  Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki spoke¹¹ through an interpreter at a news conference in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

"These crimes are nothing short of genocide aiming at exterminating¹² the heroic Palestinians," he said.  "These crimes are not short of war crimes and crimes against humanity."

Israel is threatening to launch an all-out air and ground assault on Gaza if the rocket attacks continue.

The violence could derail the effort to forge a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of the year. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to visit the region next week to try and move the process forward.

While condemning¹³ the rocket attacks, she has urged Israel to exercise restraint.

1 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 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。

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 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

6 retaliating   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The administration will begin retaliating in six weeks if EC policies remain unchanged. 凯特先生说，如果欧共体一意孤行，美国政府将于六周后开始报复。 来自互联网

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 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。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 exterminating   

v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Man is exterminating too many species for zoos to be much help. 人类正在导致过多物种灭绝，动物园也无济于事。 来自辞典例句
• Germany is exterminating the Jews of Europe. 德国正在灭绝欧洲犹太人。 来自辞典例句

13 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》