2006年VOA标准英语-Expectations High, Emotions Raw at Palesti

By Sonja Pace
Yarmouk, Damascus
13 February 2006

A few weeks after the militant¹ group Hamas won a surprise victory in Palestinian legislative² elections, there is still much uncertainty³ about what it means for Palestinians, Middle East peace efforts and for democracy in the region.

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Cars make their way on narrow streets, and vendors⁴ hawk⁵ their wares⁶ in what could be any local market in any city of the Middle East. But this is Yarmouk, home to more than 100,000 Palestinians, many whose families fled or were driven from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war at the time of Israel's creation. Yarmouk is only eight kilometers from the center of Damascus.

 

Pro-Hamas Palestinians march in the Yarmouk refugee camp carrying a photo of late Hamas leader Sheik Yassin following Hamas election victory (File photo - Jan. 27, 2006)   
  

It looks like a normal urban neighborhood, but there are signs it is different: posters of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdelaziz Rantisi, top Hamas leaders assassinated⁷ by Israel in 2004, decorate walls and lamp posts.

A Hamas leadership in exile has lived in Syria for many years, leading to accusations⁸ by Israel, the United States and others that Syria provides a safe haven⁹ for what they have deemed terrorist groups. It's something that Syria denies.

In recent weeks, Hamas leaders, such as Khaled Meshaal, have sent mixed signals, sometimes hard-line rhetoric¹⁰ that they will not recognize Israel's right to exist, other times hints of moderation, suggesting

that, after all, Israel is a reality on the ground with whom Hamas might be able to talk.

But, there are no political niceties here in the Yarmouk market. The vendors and many of the shoppers have long memories of homes lost, and no forgiveness for those who live there now.

"This is my father," says Zani Anabtawi, pulling out an old, yellowed identity card, issued in 1936 under the British Mandate¹¹ for Palestine. "We are from near Haifa," he says, referring to the coastal¹² city that is now part of Israel.

The family left in 1948. Zani was born here in Damascus. He says he keeps the card to show his claim to home.

A group of men quickly gathers round. "I'm from Nazareth," one man chimes in. "My family is from Tabaria, what is now Tiberius," another says.

"We've been uprooted¹³ from our land," says Anabtawi from behind his vegetable stall. "They've planted Israelis on our land."

What Israelis see as the rightful and ancestral homeland of the Jews, Palestinians see as their birthright, with the Israelis perceived as the outsiders from Europe and elsewhere.

Another man, Anwar Naji, says the Palestinians need to take back their land and their rights, and, if suicide bombers¹⁴ are the only way to do that, then so be it.

But, while Palestinians do want their rights and land, opinions polls have shown that most do not support suicide bombings. And, polls taken in the West Bank and Gaza also show that most want a negotiated settlement with Israel.

After winning last month's legislative elections, Hamas is under considerable pressure, especially from the West, to moderate its stance, to disarm¹⁵, recognize Israel's right to exist and negotiate.

Palestinians here in the Yarmouk market don't rule out negotiations¹⁶, but reactions are strong when it comes to recognizing Israel.

"What about our rights?", is the quick response.

"Israel does not recognize our rights and yet we should recognize theirs?"

Anwar Naji concedes: "If Israel returns to the borders of the 1967 war, there can be a truce¹⁷, and we can talk."

The men agree, "There will be no peace, without our right to return to the homes and land we lost."

Palestinians living here were not eligible¹⁸ to vote in last month's elections - only those living in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem were. Still Yarmouk residents are pinning their hopes on the outcome.

Sa'adam Jalbout is one of them.

"For years the Palestinian leadership under Fatah, did nothing but make concessions¹⁹." Now, she says, "we are counting on Hamas to make changes, and give us back our rights."

These kinds of expectations are putting pressure on Hamas, as it seeks to form a Palestinian government. On the one hand, it has to stick to its tough hard-line principles. On the other, it has to deliver, and, to do so, it needs Israel and the international community.

The dilemmas²⁰ of governing and diplomacy²¹ do not count for much here.

"We may be just selling vegetables here in the market," says Anwar Naji. "We do that to raise our children and to pay the bills. But our minds and hearts are with Palestine. We teach our children that every day, that these are our rights, and that, one day, we shall go back to our country."

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 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

6 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

7 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

8 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

9 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

10 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

11 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

12 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

13 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

16 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。

17 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

18 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

19 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

20 dilemmas   

n.左右为难( dilemma的名词复数 )；窘境，困境

参考例句：

• They dealt with their dilemmas by mixing perhaps unintentionally an explosive brew. 他们――也许是无意地――把爆炸性的佐料混合在一起，以此来应付困难处境。 来自辞典例句
• Ten years later we encountered the same dilemmas in Vietnam. 十年后，我们又在越南遇到了同样进退两难的局面。 来自辞典例句

21 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。