VOA标准英语2009年-US Congressman: Iran is Threat, Not Israel

A delegation¹ of conservative congressmen from the United States is on a solidarity² visit to Israel. They are concerned about Washington's Middle East policies.
　
Congressman³ Eric Cantor (c), with delegation of Republican members of Congress, during press conference in Jerusalem, 06 Aug 2009

The delegation of 25 congressmen from the Republican Party blasted the Obama administration for pressuring Israel to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Eric Cantor, who is heading the delegation, says U.S. President Barack Obama's policies are misguided. He says the U.S. should be focusing on Iran's quest for nuclear weapons.

"Any discussion of settlements, any discussion of the issues of living in East Jerusalem, should not take precedent⁴ over the primary focus of import which is the growing threat of a nuclear Iran," Cantor said.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But Israel believes Iran could have a nuclear bomb in a year. That is a cause of great concern here because Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has threatened to wipe the Jewish state "off the map."

Israel has been agitated⁵ by President Obama's plan to open a dialogue with Iran, while pressing for a one year freeze on Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank. A report in Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper says the Obama administration feels such a freeze might lead to Arab concessions⁶ in the Mideast peace process. But Congressman Cantor told Israel Radio that the U.S. should lay off.

"We do not want to see undue⁷ pressure placed on Israel. We believe very much in Israel's right to secure itself, to administer its laws," Cantor said. "There is no stronger democratic ally in this region than Israel and we're here to reconfirm and affirm that."

The congressmen also met with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, to express support for the two-state solution.

The delegation's visit underscores the traditionally pro-Israel position of the U.S. Congress. Israel has often depended on congressional support when it has disagreements with the White House. Democrats⁸ in Congress are expected to travel to Israel next week.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

5 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

6 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

7 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》