中东暴力持续蔓延

AS IT IS 2015-10-16 Middle East Violence Continues to Spread 中东暴力持续蔓延

Conflict in the Middle East continues to grow as violence spreads from various flashpoints.

中东地区冲突持续增长，各热点地带暴力大肆蔓延。

A senior United Nations official warns that Syria could be divided into two if the current chaotic¹ situation does not improve.

一位联合国高级官员警告说, 若当前混乱局面无法改善，叙利亚则可能被一分为二。

Steffan de Mistura is the secretary-general’s special envoy² for Syria. He describes an official divide as a “worst-case scenario³” for the country.But, he notes the country is already unofficially dividing.

Mistura Steffan是驻叙利亚秘书长特使。他表示，正式分裂将会是 “最糟糕的情况”。然而，叙利亚线现已陷入非正式分裂状态。

Mr. de Mistura adds that Russia’s recent military intervention⁴ in Syria has made the situation more dangerous. He warns that increasing military action in the conflict could lead to what he calls “an incident” between the U.S. and Russia.

Mistura先生补充说, 近来俄罗斯针对叙利亚采取军事干预，使得局势变得更加危险。他警告说, 动乱中增加军事行动，可能导致美国和俄罗斯之间的冲突。

In northern Syria, a U.S. defense⁵ official reported that the U.S. airdropped 50 tons of small arms ammunition⁶ to rebels on Sunday.

美国国防部官员报道, 本周日在叙利亚北部,美国曾向反对派空投50吨的小型武器弹药。

The move supports the Pentagon’s recent decision to “pause” – or, temporarily stop – its failed program to train and equip Syrian rebels. Instead, the U.S. is increasing material support to some trusted groups fighting on Syrian battlefields.

该行动无疑支持了美军国防所做的新决策----- “停止”或“暂时停止”其失败的叙利亚反对派训练和装备项目。相反,美国开始增加对一些信任团体的物资支持，以此展开叙利亚战场的作战行动。

Yemen

In Yemen, the human rights group Amnesty International has investigated a series of airstrikes against Houthi rebels last summer. The group accuses a coalition⁷ led by Saudi Arabia of making the strikes.About 100 civilians⁸ died, including many children.Amnesty also claims to have found the remains⁹ of cluster munitions¹⁰. This kind of weapon is banned under international treaties.

在也门,人权组织大赦国际针对去年夏天胡塞叛军的空袭行动，展开了一系列调查行动。该组织指责沙特阿拉伯领导的联盟罢工运动。该事件导致大约100名平民死亡,其中包括许多孩子。特赦组织还声称发现了集束炸弹的残骸。而这种武器在国际条约中是被明令禁止的。

Saudi Arabia did not answer Amnesty International’s charges directly. But, it has said in the past that it targets only rebel fighters, and that it does not use cluster bombs.

沙特阿拉伯并没有回应国际特赦组织的指控。但在过去，其曾表示,他们的目标只有反对派,也未曾使用过集束炸弹。

The United Nations issued a report last month describing reported violations¹¹ of international law by all sides in the conflict.

上个月，联合国发表了一份报告，其中描述了冲突各方违反国际法律的详情。

Israel and Palestine

In Jerusalem, Palestinians increased attacks on occupying Israel.One Palestinian with a gun and another with knives attacked passengers on a bus.In another part of the city, a man crashed a car into people at a bus stop. He then left the car and stabbed people nearby.

在耶路撒冷,巴勒斯坦人增强攻击力度，以求占领色列。一巴勒斯坦人持枪,同伴则持刀，攻击了一辆公共汽车上的乘客。该城市的其他地区，一人用车撞上了公交车站等车的乘客。他下车后，用刀捅向了附近的人群。

A fourth attacker stabbed a person at a bus stop in a town north of Tel Aviv.

在特拉维夫北部的一个小镇，第四个攻击者刺伤了公交车站等车的乘车人。

More than a dozen Israelis were wounded in the three attacks. One of the attackers was killed, two were wounded, and the fourth was detained.

在这三次的袭击中有十几名以色列人受伤。一名攻击者被杀,两人受伤,第四个人则被拘留。

The recent attacks add to a growing death toll¹². Seven Israelis have been killed and 25 others wounded by stabbings and other attacks by Palestinians.Twenty-five Palestinians have been killed, mostly by Israeli police answering the attacks. Israeli soldiers have also killed Palestinian protesters throwing rocks and firebombs.

最近袭击事件所导致的伤亡人数不断增加。其中7名以色列人死亡,25人被刺受伤, 其他的也遭到了巴勒斯坦人袭击。25名死亡的巴勒斯坦人中，大多数被以色列警察杀害。以色列士兵也以投掷石块和燃烧弹的方式杀害了巴勒斯坦示威者。

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed the recent violence on “acts of aggression” by Israeli settlers in lands Palestinians want for a future state.

巴勒斯坦民族权力机构主席阿巴斯将最近的暴力事件归咎于以色列定居者的“侵略行为”。他们掠夺了巴勒斯坦人渴求的土地。

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas, the Palestinian National Authority, and a group called the Islamic Movement for encouraging violence.

以色列总理内塔尼亚胡谴责哈马斯组织，该组织隶属巴勒斯坦民族权力机构，开展了一系列鼓励暴力的伊斯兰运动。

Mr. Netanyahu says the groups are spreading “lies” that Israel is planning to take over the Al Aqsa mosque¹³, Islam’s third-holiest site.

内塔尼亚胡指出，该组织传播“谎言”, 宣称以色列计划接管伊斯兰教第三圣地----阿克萨清真寺。

Al Aqsa in mostly Arab East Jerusalem, was built in the 700s and has been recently visited by religious Jews who want to return the site to Judaism.

阿克萨清真寺位于耶路撒冷东部,始建于700年左右。犹太人近来希望返回此地，以此将其归为犹太教管理。

Words in This Story

worst-case scenario – adj. the worst possible outcome in a situation 

cluster munitions – n. bombs that explode as part of a group

1 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 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。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

11 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

12 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

13 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。