美国国家公共电台 NPR--A soldier likely killed a Palestinian-American journalist, Israeli army says

A soldier likely killed a Palestinian-American journalist, Israeli army says

Transcript¹

Israel's military says there is a "high possibility" one of its soldiers killed a Palestinian-American journalist in May. The victim's family is calling for an independent U.S. investigation².

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Who killed veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. For the first time, Israel has announced one of its soldiers was likely responsible. Abu Akleh was killed four months ago while covering an Israeli operation against Palestinian gunmen in the occupied West Bank. She was Palestinian American. The U.S. has demanded accountability for her death. NPR's Daniel Estrin has been covering this case. He joins us from Tel Aviv. Daniel, what conclusions did Israel reach?

DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE³: Well, the military says there is a, quote, "high possibility" that its soldier fired the bullet. They say there is still a possibility a Palestinian did it. This, though, is the closest to the army taking some responsibility. But they say there's no reason to punish anyone. They say the soldier had limited visibility in his armored jeep. He mistakenly identified her as a gunman. And they say it's tragic⁴ but justifiable⁵. This was during an Israeli operation combating a wave of Palestinian attacks. Soldiers were under heavy Palestinian gunfire that morning. The military advocate general reviewed all the evidence that the - in investigation of the military and decided⁶ there was no evidence of criminal intent. So no soldiers are being investigated. The army has not explained why they determined⁷ it was OK for the soldier to open fire - and this was caught on tape - when it was quiet for minutes and there was no gunfire of any Palestinians as the journalist approached wearing her vest, which was marked press.

MART?NEZ: What took Israel until now to acknowledge its soldier was likely responsible? I know that's something the U.S. concluded a long time ago - months ago, actually.

ESTRIN: That's right. And also, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN all had experts examine video evidence. And they reached the same conclusion, that Israel was likely responsible. The army was conducting its own investigation, looking at drone footage, collecting evidence. The noteworthy thing, A, is that it's not that it took four months here, but that Israel even acknowledged potential responsibility at all. Israel's track record is that it does not investigate many or all Palestinian casualties. What was different here? Shireen Abu Akleh was a U.S. citizen. And the U.S. pushed Israel to cooperate and Palestinian authorities to cooperate on an investigation and reach a conclusion and put this case to rest.

MART?NEZ: So how is Israel's announcement being received?

ESTRIN: Well, Shireen Abu Akleh's family is disappointed but not surprised. And they want the International Criminal Court to investigate. The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, a leading group, accuses Israel of, quote, "outrageous⁸ policy" in the West Bank. They say Israel permits its soldiers to open fire with little restriction⁹. And, indeed, scores of Palestinians have been killed this year, both gunmen and uninvolved civilians¹⁰, including at least one Palestinian killed in a firefight with soldiers today.

MART?NEZ: So just to be clear - no soldiers held accountable. So then, Daniel, what's the takeaway here? I mean, is there any way to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future?

ESTRIN: The takeaway is we're going to have to see how the U.S. responds. I mean, we have seen a vague State Department statement that welcomed Israel's announcement, but saying that, quote, "we underscore accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future." So that's the question. She was an American citizen. Will the U.S. continue to press Israel? We haven't seen any evidence that the Israeli army is taking any measures to change its standard operating procedures to prevent this in the future.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thanks.

ESTRIN: You're welcome, A.

(SOUNDBITE OF SOULAR ORDER'S "LANGUAGE")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 justifiable   

adj.有理由的，无可非议的

参考例句：

• What he has done is hardly justifiable.他的所作所为说不过去。
• Justifiable defense is the act being exempted from crimes.正当防卫不属于犯罪行为。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

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 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

9 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。