2006年VOA标准英语-Hamas Official Denies Accepting Two-State

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
05 April 2006
 
The Palestinian foreign minister is denying reports he might accept a two-state solution with Israel. The new Hamas government held its first cabinet meeting to discuss the growing financial crisis in the Palestinian territories.

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Controversy¹ deepened over comments by Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, considered a hardliner in the Hamas Islamic-militant group.

Tuesday, Mr. Zahar sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. News reports quoted the letter as saying Palestinians were seeking a "two-state solution," to the Israeli Palestinian dispute. But Wednesday, Mr. Zahar angrily denied making such reports, which were first reported by the French news agency, AFP.
 
 
Mahmoud Zahar (File photo) 
  
Zahar says the AFP report is completely false, and he never made any such statement.

In his letter to the U.N. Secretary-General, Zahar said Palestinians want to live "side-by-side" with their neighbors - presumably Israel. But, he says Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the construction of a controversial security barrier will in "ultimately diminish any hope" of achieving peace based on "a two-state solution," to the Israeli Palestinian dispute.

Hamas refuses to recognize Israel, disarm² or recognize previously³ signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union.
 

Ismail Haniyeh (File photo)  
  
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who is also a senior member of Hamas, presided over the first full Cabinet meeting of the new Palestinian government. Haniyeh told his colleagues that the Palestinian Ministry⁴ of Finance has virtually no money to pay the estimated 140,000 Palestinian civil servants.

The transfer of tax and customs revenue collected by Israel and turned over to the Palestinian Authority was suspended by Israel recently, and other international donor⁵ assistance has also been suspended because of the Hamas refusal to recognize Israel.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 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。

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。