VOA标准英语2008年-Israel Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary Amid New

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
06 May 2008
 

One of the most dramatic events of the 20th century was the founding of the modern state of Israel 60 years ago. VOA's Jim Teeple reports that on Israel's 60th birthday many Israelis say they feel more secure and confident about their future than they have in years. 

Ben Yehuda Street is a relaxed place these days.  Strollers take time to browse¹ and the area is packed with tourists.

A few years ago, Ben Yehuda Street and downtown Jerusalem were no place for strollers.  The violence sparked by the second Palestinian revolt or Intifada killed about a thousand Israelis and some four thousand Palestinians.   

Now for many Israelis - like those who work at Cafe Joe on King George Street - the Intifada is a distant memory.  

The cafe's new building with large glass windows and outdoor tables could not have been built when suicide bombers² struck at will. 

Moshe Yeffet, the owner, and Yossi, the manager, say improved security has made them confident about the future. "God knows, but we feel comfortable and we feel good about security, but we put our faith in God," Yeffet said.

High walls and checkpoints guarantee their security.

This wall is part of Israel's 700-kilometer security barrier. It runs mostly along the border between Israel and the occupied West Bank. The barrier keeps West Bank Palestinians from entering Jerusalem.

Palestinians say the barrier is illegal. And the checkpoints restrict their travel in the West Bank and Israel. 

But Israel says the measures have stopped the bombings.

Attacked at birth by Arab armies, the Jewish state has survived against tremendous odds³.  The country has fought six wars against its Arab neighbors and has peace treaties with only two.   

Gershon Cohen runs a small publishing house in Jerusalem. He says from the beginning, although outnumbered, Israelis had the confidence that helped them make history. "In 1948, I was 19-years-old and we were in the army in Jerusalem.  The Jewish citizens were about 70,000 here, in all of Israel about a half million and we never believed we would lose the war.  Now we are seven million.  We have a good economy and we are enlarging.  That is what I believe and continue to believe it is getting better and better," he said.

Yehezkel Dror is one of Israel's leading political scientists.  He says Israel has achieved much. But the future is far from sure, "Israel's achievements are a heroic success.  It is hard to find a precedent⁴ of a moving population setting up a state and a special type of state.  The success of 60 years does not provide enough momentum⁵ to choose a future."

Iran could have an impact on Israel's future. 

Iran is developing nuclear technology and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Israel should be wiped off the map.

Israeli leaders say Iran with a nuclear bomb is out of the question for the Jewish state.

Whether Israel makes peace with the Palestinians who live in Arab east Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip could also determine its future.

Gershon Cohen says, in any case, Israel is not going away, "We want to find a final solution with the Arabs, but if not we have to believe we will win everywhere and everyplace."

And so Israelis go about their daily business as if threats do not exist, on land that Jews have considered their homeland for three thousand years.  Jews from around the world come here to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem - Judaism's holiest site.  

Political scientist Yehezkel Dror says Jews who choose to live in Israel share a profound commitment to each other.

He says this is perhaps Israel's greatest achievement, "It means today that you feel yourself part of the Jewish people and Judaism, and regard yourself as a Jew with commitments to Jews everywhere.”

1 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

2 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》

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

5 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。