2006年VOA标准英语-Israel Says There is Deadline for Peace Ta

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
10 May 2006

Ehud Olmert    
  
Senior Israeli officials say they will wait six months before deciding whether to move unilaterally to set Israel's final border with the Palestinians.

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Until now, Israeli officials have avoided putting a strict timetable on their plan to draw Israel's final border with the Palestinians, saying only they will do so by 2010.

But Israel's Justice Minister Haim Ramon told Israeli Radio that Israel could move faster and demarcate its West Bank border by the end of 2008.

In a warning to Palestinians, Ramon also says Israel will only wait until the end of this year to see if Palestinians are willing to negotiate a border. He says if Israel sees no progress by then it will move unilaterally.

Ramon's remarks were echoed later by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has insisted that no talks will take place until the Hamas-dominated government agrees to recognize Israel. He says he prefers to negotiate with the Palestinians, but he will not wait much longer for Palestinians to agree to his conditions.

"If they will accept these principles then fine for us, we are ready to talk," he said. "If we wait a month, two months, three months or half a year and we do not see any change, then most likely we are going to move forward even without an agreement, or without negotiations¹."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen   
  
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks to begin immediately, but Israeli officials say there will be no talks with the Palestinians, unless Hamas agrees to its precondition of recognition - something Hamas has refused to do.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters that Palestinians are ready and willing to negotiate.

"Well I believe the Israeli government knows they have a partner. President Abbas [Abu Mazen] stands fully² ready to resume the permanent status negotiations," said Erekat. "I believe borders and other issues of permanent status such as Jerusalem and the status of refugees must be determined³ and decided⁴ through negotiations, and not through dictation. So if the Israeli government really wishes to get to the end game, and the end of conflict and a peace treaty, we stand fully ready."

Under a disengagement plan first publicly proposed by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and adopted by his successor Ehud Olmert, Israel will pull back from most settlements in the West Bank. The plan would concentrate settlers in three large settlement blocs⁵ in the West Bank, while demarcating Israel's border along the route of the controversial separation barrier.

Palestinians have condemned⁶ the plan saying it amounts to a massive land grab that violates international law.

1 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。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 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。

4 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。

5 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句

6 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。