VOA标准英语2009-Israel Says No Change in Settlement Policy a

Israel says it won't change its settlement policy despite new demands by the President of the United States. The settlers have announced their own response to U.S. pressure.
　
Jewish settlers wash cement off their feet after laying foundation of new building in West Bank outpost of Maoz Esther, 28 May 2009

Israel says it will not halt construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, despite President Barack Obama's insistence¹ on a settlement freeze. Mr. Obama most recently made the demand Thursday in his Cairo speech to the Muslim world.

The issue has raised tensions between the new, right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. administration, which sees the settlements as an obstacle to peace.

Government spokesman Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington, says Israel reserves the right to build in existing settlements to accommodate "natural growth."

"No democratic government can be expected to stop people, hundreds of thousands of people, living legally and under the law, wherever they live, of having children or putting up additional buildings. Look, this is not a dispute; this is a fact of life," he said.

As a concession² to Washington, Israel has begun dismantling³ some small, illegal settlement outposts as part of its commitment under the "roadmap" peace plan, but with little success. On Friday, settlers returned to the outpost of Oz Yonatan near the Palestinian-ruled city of Ramallah, after it was dismantled⁴ by the army earlier this week.

"Our message is very clear: Obama, no you can't. You can't give away the land of the Bible that belongs to the people of the Bible," said settlement activist⁵ Nadia Matar.

Palestinian officials say Mr. Obama's call for a settlement freeze is a good start. But they say the test will be converting words to deeds.

1 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

2 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

3 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

4 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。