VOA标准英语2010年-Jerusalem Plan to Demolish Palestinian

Palestinian boys sit on a wall in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, in Jerusalem, 22 Jun 2010

Israeli authorities say they are moving ahead with plans to demolish¹ more than 20 homes in Silwan, an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem.  Israeli officials want to clear the land to build an archeological park on a site - just outside the walled old city - where Jews believe the biblical King David walked. Silwan's Palestinian residents accuse Israel of trying to expel them in order to strengthen the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem, seized by Israel during the 1967 War.

An Israeli notice that her home is due to be demolished² has kept Aida Risheq, a mother of seven, awake at night.

"The situation is very bad.  I look at the eyes of my children," she said. "They will be kicked out on the streets.  I have children, and we have no other home."

Risheq's home, like many others in this crowded, low-income neighborhood, was built without a permit on land that Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Arab Israeli war.

Israel annexed³ East Jerusalem but the move has not been accepted by the international community. 

For Elisha Peleg, a member of the Jerusalem City Planning Committee, the effort to build the park in Silwan is a matter of much-needed redevelopment.

"East Jerusalem is part of the united Jerusalem and therefore it is about time to start making the whole area organized to have good services," he said.

Silwan's Palestinian residents see things differently.  Fakhri Abu Diab heads a resident's committee.

"They want to demolish our houses because in the future they want to implement⁴ their plan to bring in settlers and build their gardens," he said. "At the end of the day, they have their political agenda:  They don't want us, as Palestinians, as Arabs, in this area."

Some Palestinian activists⁵ use the term "ethnic⁶ cleansing⁷" to describe what they see as an Israeli campaign to rid East Jerusalem of Arabs.

City officials condemn⁸ the accusation⁹.

Elisha Peleg: "What exactly is the allegation?"
Reporter: "Ethnic cleansing."
Elisha Peleg: "It's rubbish. It's not true. These people violate the law. They invade an area that does not belong to them. They build without a building permit. Now they are complaining that someone is doing something wrong to them."

Aida Risheq says she did build without a permit, but she says she feels entitled to live here because she inherited the land from her father and grandfather.

"What we want is to live in peace, and have our legitimate¹⁰ rights," said Risheq. "Every human being should be allowed to live in peace in his house.  This is my house. I did not take anyone's home.  This is mine."

Risheq and other residents say they've been told the demolitions¹¹ may not happen for several months.
 

1 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。

2 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

3 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

4 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

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 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

8 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

9 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

10 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

11 demolitions   

n.毁坏，破坏，拆毁( demolition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Randy Couture as Toll Road, an Expendable and demolitions expert. 大卫·萨亚斯饰演加尔扎将军，邪恶的独裁者。 来自互联网
• Allied Demolitions upgrade moved one slot to the left on the Allied HQ UI. 盟军的爆破升级在指挥部界面中左移一格（由于现在没钳子升级了，所以填钳子的位置）。 来自互联网