Sharon Discusses Amendment to Gaza Disengagement Plan with C

 

Sonja Pace 
 
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is meeting with his coalition¹ partners to try to come up with an amended² disengagement plan he hopes can win enough support to be implemented⁴.

The consociations come as political opponents are calling for early elections. The political crises comes after Mr. Sharon's Likud Party voted down his original plan to dismantle⁵ all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and portions of the West Bank.

Justice Minister Josef Lapid was among those meeting with Mr. Sharon on Tuesday. He said the Israeli leader has assured him he would continue peace efforts and seek support for a modified disengagement plan.

Mr. Lapid, who heads the centrist Shinui party, has threatened to pull out of the coalition if disengagement is not implemented.

Speaking earlier on Israeli television, Mr. Lapid said the government can not be held hostage by what he says is a small minority of the country's total population.

"We are obliged by the decisions made by the government and by parliament. This is a democracy and not a one-party rule. And, we invite the government to continue with the peace process."

The disengagement plan has wide public support according to an opinion poll in the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, had Mr. Sharon put the plan to a national referendum, it would have passed by over 60 percent.

For months, Mr. Sharon promoted his plan as vital to Israel's security in the absence of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. President Bush endorsed⁷ it, but it was rejected by the Israeli leader's own Likud Party in a referendum on Sunday.

Mr. Sharon is now considering a watered-down version of the plan that would include a very limited withdrawal⁸ of settlements from Gaza and a few from the West Bank.

The Israeli leader is also coming under pressure from the opposition⁹ Labor¹⁰ party, which supports his original disengagement plan and has incorporated it into its own party platform. Labor is calling for Mr. Sharon to step aside for early elections and a new government.

Speaking on Israel Radio, Labor Party member of parliament, Yitzhak Herzog said Mr. Sharon can no longer be effective because his hands are tide.

"He cannot proceed with his plan. He is tied up by his own party members and his own peers. He cannot implement³ any policy and the only policy they can implement is going against the tide and going against the interests of the people of Israel. And, therefore we believe that he must be replaced."

Mr. Sharon has vowed¹¹ he will not resign.

Palestinians remain suspicious of Mr. Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan. They see it as a way to keep Palestinian land Israel now occupies in the West Bank. They say while they welcome any Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas, unilateral moves must not replace a negotiated settlement.

As the prime minister Sharon struggles to salvage¹² some version of his plan, senior officials of the so-called Middle East Quartet of nations are to meet in New York to see how they might revive the Roadmap Peace Plan, which has been stalled for months.

Quartet members, the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union, had endorsed the Roadmap, which was supposed to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiations¹³ and was to result in an independent Palestinian state by next year.
注释:
coalition [kEuE5liF(E)n] n. （政党）联合
amended [E5mendid] adj. 修正过的
implement [5implimEnt] v. 执行
vote down 否决
dismantle [dis5mAntl] v. 拆除
modified [5mCdifaid] adj. 修正的
pull out 脱离，离开
hostage [5hRstidV] n. 人质
oblige [E5blaidV] vt. 迫使
opinion poll 民意测验
Yediot Ahronot 以色列希伯莱文日报
endorse⁶ [in5dC:s] v. 赞同，认可
watered-down 打折扣的
incorporated [in5kC:pEreit] v. 合并，一体化
tie up 束缚
tide [taid] n. 趋势
suspicious [sE5spiFEs] adj. 表示怀疑的
salvage [5sAlvidV] vt. （局面等的）挽救
Middle East Quartet 中东危机四人调停小组
Roadmap Peace Plan 中东和平"路线图"计划

 

1 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。

2 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

3 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

4 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

5 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

6 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 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。

11 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

12 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

13 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。