Israel is pressing ahead with plans to build more settlement housing in the West Bank. An Israeli official announced the scheme as a meeting was getting under way in Washington between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move could cause friction with Washington, which wants Israel to stop settlement expansion.
以色列正在计划加紧在约旦河西岸建立更多的居民住房。当美国总统奥巴马和以色列总理内塔尼亚胡正在华盛顿特区会谈之际，一名来自约旦河西岸的以色列官员宣布了这一计划。此举可能会引起以色列与美国之间的摩擦，因为美国希望以色列停止修建定居点。
The matter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is one of the key sticking points in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians want no Israeli presence in their state if and when it is established. Israeli authorities say there are roughly 280,000 people living in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
以色列在西岸建立定居点在以色列和巴基斯坦冲突中是一个关键。巴勒斯坦希望当他们的国家建立时，他们的国家没有以色列人的存在。以色列当局说，大约有28万人生活在约旦河西岸的犹太人定居点。
Israeli developers and a local government official on Monday said they are moving ahead with construction at a former military site known as Maskiot in the Jordan Valley. Contractors toured the site on Sunday. Officials say the building plans were approved by Israel's defense ministry last year.
星期一，以色列开发商和当地政府官员表示，他们正在约旦河谷的一个称做马斯基奥特(Maskio)的前军事基地开展建设行动。承包商在周日参观了此地点。以色列官员说房屋建设计划已在去年由以色列国防部批准。
The construction plans are drawing protests from the Palestinians who accuse the Israelis of timing their release with Mr. Netanyahu's visit to Washington to send a message that Israel is strengthening its hold on the West Bank.
巴勒斯坦人正在抗议建设计划，并指责以色列选择在内塔尼亚胡总理访问华盛顿期间开始执行计划，以传递他们正在约旦河西岸地区增加势力的信息。
They repeated their warning that no negotiations will take place as long as Mr. Netanyahu does not endorse the creation of a Palestinian state.
他们一再警告说，只要内塔尼亚胡不赞同建立一个巴勒斯坦国的方案，双方就没有谈判的必要性。
The General Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Abed Rabu, accused Mr. Netanyahu of trying to derail the peace process. He called for the United States to announce a one-year deadline.
巴勒斯坦解放组织主席亚西尔阿贝德.拉布指责内塔尼亚胡试图破坏和平进程。他呼吁美国宣布一个为期一年的最后期限。
Abed Rabu said the most important thing for the Palestinians is to see what the United States and Israel plan to do. He says the Palestinians are waiting to see what steps the United States will take and whether Washington will announce that a Palestinian state will be created within a year.
拉布说，对巴勒斯坦人而言，最重要的是看到美国和以色列将计划做什么。他说，巴勒斯坦人正在等待看美国将采取什么步骤，以及美国是否会宣布巴勒斯坦国在一年之内建立的声明。
Some Israelis oppose the creation of such a state out of concern that it might be subject to takeover by Islamist militants, as was the case in the Gaza Strip where the Iranian-backed Hamas movement seized the government after Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the enclave.
一些反对建立巴勒斯坦国的以色列人认为，巴勒斯坦国可能会被伊斯兰武装分子占领，就像2005年撤离加沙地带以后伊斯兰激进组织哈马斯掌控了该地区的情形一样。 |