Netanyahu ired over FM's remarks at UN

    JERUSALEM, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli(以色列) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is outraged¹ over statements made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in a speech he delivered Tuesday at the United Nations.
    Lieberman told delegates to the UN General Assembly（联合国大会） in New York that a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians must be based on the swapping² of territory and populations.
    According to Lieberman's controversial（有争议的） plan, which is part of the official platform of his ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, part of Israel's Arab population would be moved and become part of a future Palestinian state.
    In return, Israel would evacuate³ some Jewish settlements in the West Bank while maintaining its sovereignty over others.
    It was the first time that Lieberman voiced his plan in an international forum⁴.
    Officials at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem criticized Lieberman's remarks, emphasizing they were not coordinated⁵ with the prime minister.
    "The prime minister is the one who is conducting the political negotiations⁶ and is speaking on behalf of the State of Israel," read an official statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
    "The various peace settlement issues will be discussed and determined⁷ at the negotiations（谈判） table and nowhere else," the statement said.
    Israeli Defense⁸ Minister Ehud Barak was also among the criticizers of Lieberman's appearance at the UN.
    A statement issued by the Defense Ministry⁹ Tuesday night clarified that "Lieberman's remarks do not reflect the Israeli government's position, and certainly not that of the Labor¹⁰ party, which believes that it is essential to continue with the (direct) talks and reach a breakthrough in the negotiations in order to attain¹¹ a peace settlement with the Palestinians and not play into the hands of Israel's enemies."Legislators from the Kadima party, Netanyahu's main opposition¹², were even harsher in their critic of Lieberman, saying he is an obstacle to the recently-launched peace efforts.
    "Netanyahu must fire Lieberman," said MK (member of the Israeli parliament) Meir Sheetrit, "if he'd fire him, that would solve half of the problems with the Palestinians... when the prime minister and foreign minister are divided over a matter handled by the government, Israel looks ridiculous in the eyes of the world."In his speech at the UN, Lieberman attempted to soften¹³ his remarks, stressing that he is not proposing a plan for "population transfer," a phrase that in the past provoked the wreath of Arab Israelis.
    "We're not talking about populations transfer but about defining borders so as best to reflect（反映） the demographic reality," he explained.
    In additional statements he made, Lieberman said that a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians is "currently not realistic" and will only be achieved "within a few decades." Instead, Lieberman said the only alternative is a long-range intermediate settlement which will be based on the exchange of territory and populations.
    Lieberman defended his position following the critique, saying his remarks represented the opinions of the "majority of Israel's citizens.""The truth isn't always pleasant, but must be said," Lieberman told daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot in a telephone interview on Tuesday.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

2 swapping   

交换，交换技术

参考例句：

• The slow swapping and buying of horses went on. 马匹的买卖和交换就是这样慢慢地进行着。
• He was quite keen on swapping books with friends. 他非常热衷于和朋友们交换书籍。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 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。

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

11 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。