Sharon Suffers Parliament Setback on Gaza Pullout Plan

 

By Larry James
 
The Israeli parliament has rejected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's speech outlining his plans for a total withdrawal¹ from the Gaza Strip.
The vote of 53-44 against Mr. Sharon's speech was described by Israeli media as a ringing rejection² and a humiliation³ for the prime minister. The Israeli leader's Likud Party holds 40 seats in the Knesset. At least a quarter of the Likkud members voted against accepting his speech outlining his political and economic agenda, in which he spoke⁴ of his plans for a total pull out from Gaza and the evacuation of four West Bank settlements near Jenin.
Although the vote was symbolic⁵ and without any political consequences, it illustrated⁶ how difficult the road ahead is likely to be for Mr. Sharon. Senior Likud official Gidon Sar - who, himself, opposes the Gaza pullout - says, if the parliament does approve it, holding the government together will be a real challenge.
As you know, we are in that situation of a minority government since June," he said. "I cannot say there is no political danger. There is a clear political danger."
Two of the six members of the National Religious Party have already pulled out of the government, over the disengagement plan. The other four have said they will leave too, rather than be a part of the government, once the debate over the withdrawal begins. NRP Knesset member Shaul Yahalon says the only reason the party is still in the government is to keep the pro-disengagement parties from joining the coalition⁷.
"If the Labor⁸ Party [is] joining Mr. Sharon, it is the last point and the disengagement will occur surely," he said. "Therefore, we prevent ourselves from breaking down the coalition only because [of] this reason."
Mr. Sharon representatives are now busily engaged in talks with other political parties, to see if a new coalition can be put together, should the current government fall. Parliament debate on the issue is to begin once the plan is presented, October 25.
Larry James, VOA News, Jerusalem.注释：
Gaza Pullout Plan 加沙撤军计划
reject 拒绝
humiliation羞辱, 蒙耻
Knesset (以色列)议会
evacuation 撤退
minority government少数弱势政府
National Religious Party （NRP）全国宗教党
debate 争论

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

3 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

6 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

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 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。