VOA常速英语2008年-Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Recommit to Peace

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
07 April 2008

Israeli and Palestinian leaders tried to advance the Middle East process during talks in Jerusalem Monday. We have more from Robert Berger at our VOA bureau in the Israeli capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for three hours at his residence in Jerusalem. It was their first meeting since Mr. Abbas suspended peace talks five weeks ago in response to an Israeli military incursion in the Gaza Strip.

More than 120 Palestinians were killed in the offensive, about half of them militants² and the rest civilians³.

The two leaders agreed to put that episode behind them and get the peace process back on track.

"We are all committed to the goal of trying to reach a historic agreement with the Palestinians by the end of this year. That is the central focus," said Mark Regev, Mr. Olmert's spokesman.

But each side accused the other of failing to keep its commitments under the internationally backed "Roadmap" peace plan. Mr. Olmert charged that the Palestinians have not done enough to crack down on militant¹ groups, while Mr. Abbas complained about Jewish-settlement expansion.

The United States and Palestinians say Israeli plans to build hundreds of new apartments in disputed East Jerusalem and the West Bank violates the roadmap which calls for a settlement freeze.

"At the end of the day, settlements and peace are two parallel tracks. Israel cannot have settlements and peace at the same time," said negotiator Saeb Erekat, speaking for the Palestinians.

Settlement expansion and daily Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza have soured the atmosphere, putting the goal of a peace agreement by the end of the year in doubt.

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 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。