VOA标准英语2014--加沙停火捐赠会议面临质疑

 

Gaza Donor¹ Conference Faces Questions About Cease-fire Strength 加沙停火捐赠会议面临质疑

STATE DEPARTMENT— 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Cairo Saturday for a donor conference on rebuilding parts of the Gaza Strip leveled during 50 days of fighting between Hamas and Israel.

Palestinian officials say it will take more than $7 billion to repair damage from fighting in Gaza that destroyed its only power plant along with more than 15,000 homes. But with little progress by Hamas and Israel following through on promises connected to the cease-fire, are donors² willing to pay to rebuild what may again be knocked down?

State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki says Secretary Kerry keeps pushing for a return to talks on a two-state solution.

“Will there be opportunities to discuss that at this conference? Certainly, there could be, and I expect the Secretary will have some sidebar conversations, but it’s not the primary focus," said Psaki. "They’ll have to reconvene the parties to have that discussion separately from this conference.”

 There is little momentum³ for getting back to that discussion as both sides have hardened positions since the cease-fire, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pushing for greater recognition at the United Nations.

"There is an occupation that must end now," he said. "There is a people that must be freed immediately. The hour of independence of the State of Palestine has arrived."

Israel says a Palestinian coalition⁴ government strengthens Hamas-supporter Iran at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says many Arab leaders share Israeli security concerns.

“After decades of seeing Israel as their enemy, leading states in the Arab world increasingly recognize that, together, we and they face many of the same dangers," he said. "And principally this means a nuclear armed Iran and militant⁵ Islamist movements gaining ground in the Sunni world."

Building on its role in Syria, Iran has used the conflict in Gaza to strengthen ties with Hamas, says American University professor Akbar Ahmed.

"It sees the Gaza situation as an opportunity because the other Arab countries like Egypt, like Saudi Arabia, who would have traditionally supported the Palestinians, did not do so for all kinds of geopolitical reasons, which gave an opening to Iran," said Ahmed.

Hamas no longer has the backing of the government in Cairo, says U.S. Institute of Peace analyst⁶ Steve Heydemann.

"Hamas, as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood⁷, I think, remains⁸ under quite extraordinary pressure because of the extent to which it and its affiliated⁹ movements in Egypt and elsewhere have been increasingly repressed and marginalized, most of all in Egypt but not only in Egypt," he said.

Israel has agreed on procedures for the passage of supplies to the Gaza Strip, and U.S. officials say they hope Israel will contribute reconstruction¹⁰ materials as well. Calling on “all governments who can play a role,” the Obama administration has stopped short of linking that aid to progress on a sustainable cease-fire.

1 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

8 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。

9 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

10 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。