VOA常速英语2008年-Cheney Holds Talks With Palestinian Leaders

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
23 March 2008

U.S. Vice¹ President Dick Cheney met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday.  VOA's Jim Teeple reports that on a trip the West Bank, Cheney warned Palestinians that continued violence against Israel will hurt efforts to create a Palestinian state. 

Cheney traveled to the West Bank city of Ramallah Sunday where he met with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.  In remarks following the talks with Mr. Abbas, Cheney said the U.S. is strongly committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state.  However, he said Palestinian violence against Israel could doom² any chance for a future Palestine.

"Terror and rockets do not merely kill innocent civilians³, they also kill the legitimate⁴ hopes and aspirations⁵ of the Palestinian people," Cheney said. "A negotiated end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one that addresses the legitimate national claims of both peoples, would have limitless value.  Years of mistrust and violence have achieved nothing, and the extremists who have stood in the way of a settlement have only caused grief and suffering for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples."
 
In his remarks, Palestinian President Abbas condemned⁶ rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that target towns in southern Israel.  He also called on Israel to ease its restrictions⁷ on the Palestinians. 

Mr. Abbas says peace will not come to the Middle East as long as Israel continues to build settlements in the occupied West Bank and kills Palestinians in their own territory. 

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have been holding a series of talks since late last year, aimed at reaching a peace agreement by the end of this year.  However Palestinians say the talks have not resulted in any progress when it comes to stopping Israeli settlement building in the West Bank, or easing restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement.

Israel says Palestinians must do more to stop terrorism, including the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. 

A spokesman for Hamas militants⁸ who control Gaza criticized Cheney's visit, saying it was designed only to offer support for Israel's actions against the Palestinians.

Hamas militants defeated Fatah forces loyal to Mr. Abbas last year, taking control of Gaza and effectively splitting the Palestinian territories in two. 

Mr. Abbas says any reconciliation⁹ must be contingent¹⁰ upon Hamas agreeing to restore his authority in Gaza, something Hamas leaders have so far been unwilling¹¹ to do. 

Efforts to reconcile Palestinians appeared to take a step forward on Sunday when Hamas and Fatah representatives meeting in Yemen agreed to hold direct talks aimed at resolving their split.

No date has been set for the talks, but the issue is expected to be on the agenda at the upcoming Arab summit in Damascus  scheduled to take place at the end of March. 

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

5 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

6 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 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。

9 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

10 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

11 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。