2006年VOA标准英语-Five Palestinians Killed in Clashes with I

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
23 February 2006

Five Palestinians have been shot dead during clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank. It is the biggest Israeli crackdown since the Islamic militant¹ group Hamas won Palestinian elections last month.

From a rooftop, Palestinian youth look at Israeli military jeeps during Israeli army operation at Balata refugee camp in Nablus   
  
Hundreds of Israeli commandos and troops from other elite² forces patrolled the West Bank town of Nablus for the fifth straight day, searching for wanted Palestinian militants³. The operation turned deadly when soldiers clashed with Palestinian gunmen, and opened fire on youths throwing Molotov cocktails⁴.

The army says it launched the Nablus operation after receiving intelligence information that militants in the town were planning suicide bombings and other attacks. A bomb factory containing 70 kilos of explosives was discovered during a raid in the Casbah, or Old City.

Israeli spokesman Ra'anan Gissin says Palestinian motivation to launch attacks has increased since the election of the Islamic militant group Hamas four weeks ago.

"Those who launch terrorist attacks against us, whether they're members of Hamas, or members of Islamic Jihad, or any one of those organizations, which have decided⁵ that they want to destroy the state of Israel and continue in terrorist action, will have no immunity⁶ and no sanctuary," said Gissin.

Hamas described the Nablus raids as a war crime, and vowed⁷ to continue resistance against Israel.

"We are living under occupation, and we have full obligation to emancipate⁸ our people from this slavery," said Abdel Aziz Duweik, the new speaker of the Palestinian parliament.

Hamas, which opened coalition⁹ talks with other Palestinian factions¹⁰ this week, accused Israel of trying to undermine its efforts to form a new government. Hamas has five weeks to establish a government, which Israel has already described as a terrorist regime.

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 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 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。

7 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。

8 emancipate   

v.解放，解除

参考例句：

• This new machine will emancipate us from the hard work.这部新机器将把我们从繁重劳动中解放出来。
• To emancipate all mankind,we will balk at no sacrifice,even that of our lives.为了全人类的解放,即使牺牲生命也在所不惜。

9 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。

10 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别