VOA常速英语2008年-Former US President Jimmy Carter Meets Ex-Hamas

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
15 April 2008

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter traveled to the West Bank, where he met with a leading Hamas politician. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem, a request by Mr. Carter to travel to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip was rejected by Israeli officials.

Jimmy Carter continued his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, traveling to the West Bank city of Ramallah where he placed a wreath on the grave of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and met with current Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Mr. Carter also met with Naser al-Shaer, who served as a deputy prime minister in the Palestinian government that was formed after Hamas won legislative¹ elections in 2006. The former U.S. president plans to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal later this week when he travels to Syria, a move he defended following his talks in Ramallah.

"I am going to try everything I can to get him [Meshaal] to agree to a peaceful resolution of differences, both with the Israelis through Gaza, and also with Fatah," Mr. Carter said. "But, I am not a negotiator. I am just trying to understand different opinions and provide communications between people who will not communicate with each other."

With the exception of a brief visit with Israel's ceremonial head of state, President Shimon Peres, who criticized Mr. Carter's trip, the former U.S. president has been shunned² by Israeli officials who reject his call to negotiate with Hamas, and object to his characterization of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank as "apartheid."

A spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry³ says Israel cannot understand how Mr. Carter's planned talks with the leader of Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, can help the cause of peace. U.S. officials have also expressed displeasure with Mr. Carter's trip, but say he is a private citizen and does not represent the U.S. government.

In a further sign of their disapproval⁴ of his visit, Israeli officials have also refused to provide security for Mr. Carter during his stay. And the former U.S. president says they have rejected his request to visit the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas.

1 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。

2 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。