VOA标准英语2008年-Olmert Says Israel Must Withdraw From 'Almost A

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel will have to give up virtually all of the land it captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War if it wants peace with the Palestinians. Mr. Olmert, now serving as interim¹ prime minister, made his remarks in a farewell interview with Israel newspaper Yediot Aharonot published Monday. VOA Jerusalem correspondent Luis Ramirez reports.
　
Ehud Olmert (file)

Ehud Olmert's remarks come after he resigned on September 21 in the face of corruption² allegations. He is serving as a caretaker and remains³ involved in U.S.-brokered negotiations⁴ launched almost a year ago.

In the interview published on the eve of the Jewish New Year celebrations on Monday, Mr. Olmert said he was stating what no previous Israeli leader has ever said, which is that Israel should withdraw from almost all of the territories, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Without this, he said, there will be no peace.

Mr. Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, tells VOA the outgoing prime minister has been saying these things privately⁵ in his meetings with the Palestinians and mediators over the last month.

"Maybe this is the first time he has said this publicly but I can assure you that his Palestinian negotiations partners have heard this before, as have the Americans and the Europeans," he said. "Ultimately, we want a historic reconciliation⁶ with the Palestinians. We understand that that will come at the price of difficult decisions on our side."

Regev said Israel expects the Palestinians to make equally difficult decisions.

"In the interview, Mr. Olmert says very clearly that this cannot be done by Israel alone, that the Palestinians also will have to make tough choices," he said. "If both sides continue these talks with seriousness and the willingness to make difficult decisions to make historical choices, an agreement is still possible."

The White House wants to see an agreement by the time U.S. President George Bush leaves office in January. Olmert's political troubles, elections in the United States, and deep divisions within the Palestinian Authority have raised doubts about whether any of the sides has a mandate⁷ to follow through with an agreement.

The talks have been stuck on key issues of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the status of Jerusalem, and the Palestinian families' claim of a right to return to lands seized by Israel following the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948.

 

1 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

6 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。