VOA标准英语2008年-Obama Pledges Support to Both Israelis and Pale

U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama carried out a whirlwind tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories, meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and visiting a rocket-battered¹ town in southern Israel. VOA's Jim Teeple has the details from our Jerusalem bureau.

Barack Obama's visit attracted intense scrutiny² and interest from both Israelis and Palestinians. The Illinois senator began his day meeting with senior Israeli cabinet members, and then met with Israel's ceremonial head of state President Shimon Peres.

The two men spoke³ to reporters and Obama, the presumptive nominee⁴ of the U.S. Democratic Party, pledged strong support for Israel.

"I am here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States and my abiding⁵ commitment to Israel's security and my hope that I can serve as an effective partner, whether as a U.S. senator or as president in bringing about a more lasting⁶ peace in the region," Obama said.

Obama took that message of commitment to the Middle East peace process to the West Bank city of Ramallah where he met with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Neither man commented publicly about their meeting, but senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Palestinians are paying close attention to both Senator Obama and his opponent John McCain.

"Whoever wins the election in the United States we hope they will stay the course - the course of the two-state solution - the course of ending the Israeli occupation - the course of standing⁷ shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians and Israelis in order to reach the objective specified⁸ in the 'road map' peace plan to create a two-state solution of Palestine and Israel living side-by-side in peace and security," he said.

Arizona Senator John McCain, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, did not meet with Palestinian leaders or travel to the West Bank during his visit to Israel in March.

Obama also visited the southern Israeli city of Sderot, battered by Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Later he met with Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Obama's discussions with Israeli leaders focused on Iran's nuclear program and the Mideast Peace process.

Israelis have voiced strong opposition⁹ to statements by the Illinois senator that he is willing to talk to Iran - regarded by many Israelis as their country's biggest security threat. Obama said the world must stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying a nuclear Iran would be a grave threat, and that if elected, he would take no options off the table to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Obama's visit to Israel is being seen by many analysts¹⁰ as an attempt to shore up his support with U.S. Jewish voters.

Polls indicate many are skeptical¹¹ of his support for Israel, and many who vote Democratic supported his opponent in the Democratic Party primaries, Hillary Clinton.

Some Israelis like Natan Fogatt say they still do not trust the Illinois senator.

"He has been flip-flopping on major issues throughout the entire campaign," said Fogatt. "So you would expect that when he is appearing before a Jewish group he is going to say something which they want to hear - but sure enough a day or two later when he is speaking to a different group he is going to say something different."

But other Israelis say they support Senator Obama's pledge to immediately engage in Mideast diplomacy¹² if he is elected president in November. Many Israelis are paying close attention to Obama, with virtually all media outlets¹³ in the country providing non-stop coverage¹⁴ of his visit to Israel.

 

1 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

2 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

3 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。

4 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

5 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

6 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

12 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。

13 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。