2006年VOA标准英语-Israeli President, Beset by Scandal, Skips Parl

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
16 October 2006
 

		Israeli President Moshe Katsav speaks at a ceremony in Jerusalem (File photo - May 25, 2006)

Israeli President Moshe Katsav, on Monday did not appear at the opening of the winter session of the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, one day after senior police officials recommended he be indicted¹ on rape² charges, as well as other criminal offenses³. Pressure is growing on Israel's president to resign from his largely ceremonial post.

-----

Talk is growing in Israel's Knesset of bringing impeachment⁴ charges against Mr. Katsav, and pressure is growing on the veteran politician to resign from his post as Israel's head of state. He was elected to the largely ceremonial post in 2000, and his term ends next year.

One of Mr. Katsav's main duties is to open parliament. His failure to appear at Monday's opening session comes one day after senior police officials recommended that he be indicted on charges of rape, aggravated⁵ sexual assault, illegal wiretapping and fraud.

The charges will be the most serious ever faced by an Israeli politician, if Israel's attorney general decides to bring an indictment⁶. Mr. Katsav, a veteran politician, who is a member of the right-of-center Likud party, says he is innocent. His brother Lior says the president is being blackmailed⁷ by a former female employee who worked in the president's office.

Lior Katsav says his brother is innocent, is being framed and is being blamed for things that never happened.

Mr. Katsav has parliamentary immunity⁸, but, if he is impeached⁹, he could face trial. A number of parliamentarians and Cabinet members, including Education Minister Yuli Tamir, have called on the president to step down.

"I think that the president should announce his resignation from his post," said Tamir. "The Number One citizen of Israel [Katsav] is accused of such crimes, it is unbearable¹⁰, that it is unbearable to even think he will stay in his presidency¹¹."

Police say the charges against Mr. Katsav are based on interviews with as many as 10 women. Police have also interviewed Mr. Katsav on several occasions, and, in August, they searched the presidential residence, seizing numerous documents.

1 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

4 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

5 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

6 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

7 blackmailed   

胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He was blackmailed by an enemy agent (into passing on state secrets). 敌特威胁他（要他交出国家机密）。
• The strikers refused to be blackmailed into returning to work. 罢工者拒绝了要挟复工的条件。

8 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

9 impeached   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

• Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

11 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。