VOA标准英语2011--Israel Seeks Freedom for Soldier Held in

Israel Seeks Freedom for Soldier Held in Gaza Since 2006

Israelis are calling for the release of one of their soldiers held captive in Gaza for the past five years. The soldier's freedom has become an urgent public cause in the Jewish state.
Israelis are rallying around the country to mark the fifth anniversary of the capture of soldier Gilad Shalit. He was kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen in a cross-border raid in 2006, and has been held by the Islamic militant¹ group Hamas in Gaza ever since.
Many Israelis visited the Shalit family at their protest tent outside the prime minister's office in Jerusalem.
Noam Shalit, the captured soldier's father, says the family has wide support from the public, but the Israeli government has not done enough to free his son.
Israel has offered to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit's freedom. But a deal has been elusive², because Israel refuses to release top militants³ responsible for some of the deadliest suicide bombings.
Hamas says the ball is in Israel's court. In a video posted on its web site, Hamas showed an image of the captive soldier - alive, but in chains. The narrator said Shalit will not be released until all the demands of Hamas are met and Palestinian prisoners go free.
It is a divisive issue among Israelis. While Israel has carried out lopsided prisoner swaps⁴ in the past, critics say that policy has led to more terrorism and cost many Israeli lives. Others say it is part of the national ethos to bring captive soldiers home at any price.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 swaps   

交换( swap的名词复数 )； 交换物，被掉换者

参考例句：

• He swaps his old car for a new motorcycle. 他用旧车换了一辆新摩托车。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• Swaps the anchor and end points of the current selection. 交换当前所选内容的定位点和结束点。