VOA标准英语2009年-Israeli Settlers Defy Temporary Constr

Residents of West Bank Jewish settlements are ready to resume building

Luis Ramirez | West Bank settlement of Tekoa 08 December 2009

 
In a message of defiance¹, concrete continues to pour to prepare a foundation for construction

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank say they will continue to defy their government's order to freeze new construction for the next ten months.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to quell² the anger of settlers by saying that Israel will go back to building at the end of the 10-month period.  VOA Jerusalem correspondent Luis Ramirez went to the West Bank settlement of Tekoa near Bethlehem, and reports Israeli West Bank settlers there are holding the Israeli leader to his word.

It is not prime real estate, but for Amitai Sharon this barren piece of land is the future.

He poured money into building plans and looked forward to beginning work on a modest home.

"At the start of the week, I was supposed to start building. Then, the government inspectors³ came. I am out of luck.  It took me two years to get the blueprints," Israeli settler Amitai Sharon said.

Like many young settlers at the Tekoa settlement, Sharon and his family have been living in a trailer. "Right now, we cannot build and it means that we'll live here for another year at least, maybe," he said. "Who knows how much longer it will be before this matter is resolved."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says settlers like Sharon will have to wait ten months.  The Israeli leader announced a temporary suspension of new construction in West Bank settlements in a bid for peace with the Palestinians. They say the settlements are eating up lands intended for a Palestinian state. 

Mr. Netanyahu has reaffirmed that building in the West Bank will continue after the moratorium⁴.

That has not been enough to quell the anger of settlers. 

This banner at the entrance to the nearby Efrat settlement says there is no entry for Mr. Netanyahu's inspectors - sent out to enforce the freeze.

Concrete continues to pour.  In a message of defiance, activists⁵ at Efrat invited reporters to witness the laying of a foundation.

Tekoa lies in the shadows of Herodion. Two millennia⁶ ago it was a palace for the Jewish King Herod. 

For Amitai Sharon, it is a reminder⁷ of what he believes is his right to be here.  "When I look down and see the houses of the Arabs, then I look up and see Herodion, I remember who was here first," he said.

Sharon says he is not angry about the ban. For him, it's just a matter of time.
 

1 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

2 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

3 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

7 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。