VOA标准英语2008年-Israel Considers Truce Offer From Hamas

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
11 May 2008

A Middle East ceasefire could be in the offing during a week of high diplomacy¹. But Israel has mixed feelings, as we hear from Robert Berger at the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

Israel is considering a truce² offer from the Islamic militant³ group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

The proposal will be presented by Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who is due to visit Israel on Monday. It calls for an end to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli border communities, while Israel would halt all military action in Gaza and lift its crippling blockade of the territory.

Israel is sending mixed signals about the truce offer. Spokesman Arieh Mekel says Israel would welcome a halt to the daily rocket attacks.

"The ball is in Hamas' court. I f they were to stop these attacks, Israel will have no reason to react and there will be peace and quiet," said Mekel.

But some Israeli officials, as well as the army, strongly oppose a ceasefire. They say Hamas would use a truce to regroup and rearm for the next round of violence.

"Therefore, it is inevitable⁴ with the acquisition of weapons by Hamas, based on its creed⁵ of warfare⁶ against Israel, based on its training in Iran, based on its jihadic war effort and ethos, that fighting will continue," said Israeli analyst⁷ Modechai Nissan.

Hamas is seeking a ceasefire because it has been hit hard by Israeli sanctions and military incursions. But Palestinian activist⁸ Hanna Siniora believes a truce serves the interests of both sides.

"What is needed, and I think what Hamas and all Palestinians are saying [is], 'It is time to sit down and talk instead of to fight and have civilians⁹ killed," said Siniora.

The moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank believes a truce would create a positive atmosphere for peace talks when President Bush visits the region later this week.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

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 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

5 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

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 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 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。