VOA标准英语2010年-Hit TV Series Behind Latest Israel-Tur

A Turkish soap opera that depicted¹ the Israeli intelligence service Mossad spying inside Turkey and kidnapping Turkish babies has become the center of an increasingly bitter diplomatic dispute between Israel and Turkey. Once, close allies, relations between the two countries started deteriorating² following Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip in 2008.

A scene from the popular Turkish fictional³ television series Valley of the Wolves shows Turkish agents rescuing a baby kidnapped by the Israeli secret service as they storm an Israeli diplomatic mission.

In this episode, the show's star, secret agent Polat Alemdar, storms an Israeli diplomatic mission to rescue a Turkish boy.

One scene shows blood splaying over the Star of David as Polat Alemdar shoots and kills an Israeli agent. When a second Israeli agent warns him that he is on foreign soil and is committing a war crime, the agent responds: "Is it only you who is allowed to carry out war crimes?"

On Monday after it aired, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon  summoned the Turkish ambassador to complain about the television show.

Ayalon's treatment of Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol at the start of the meeting Monday drew immediate⁴ criticism when Ayalon refused to shake his hand.

The Turkish ambassador was also forced to sit on a low sofa, while Ayalon, sitting on a much higher seat, explained to local TV stations in Hebrew that the humiliation⁵ was intentional⁶.

Outraged⁷, Turkey threatened to recall the ambassador.

Late Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office sent a letter of apology.  Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accepted the apology.

Over the past decade, the two countries had built up a strong relationship, including military cooperation and tourism, making Turkey Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world. But lately, Israel has been troubled by harsh statements from Mr. Erdogan, who was outraged by the high Palestinian civilian⁸ death toll⁹ during Israel's Gaza offensive a year ago.
 
Israel is also concerned with a perception that Turkey is moving closer to Iran, considered by Israel as a strategic threat.

Days after the Gaza offensive began, Mr. Erdogan stalked off a stage he was sharing with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum¹⁰ in Davos, Switzerland, with the parting shot: "You kill people."

On the streets of Istanbul,  there is also growing support for the government's tough stance towards Israel. This man's view is not uncommon¹¹.

I support the prime minister, this man says. It is important to speak out about what is happening in the Gaza, as the world has remained silent. He is right in what he did.

With the support of both the European Union and the United States,  Turkey developed a strategic relationship with Israel. In 1995, Israel and Turkey signed a military cooperation agreement, which allowed Israeli jets to use Turkish airspace to train while Turkish forces were allowed use of Israel's training facilities.

The agreement was the start of a deepening relationship both militarily and politically.

Analysts¹³ say the basis for that strategic alliance was protection from their common enemy, Syria. At the time, Damascus was providing protection for Abdullah Ocalan whose Kurdistan workers party or PKK was fighting the Turkish state.

 "Turkey was fighting a war against an insurrectionary movement whose leader was sitting in Syria. And the relation with Israel within two years allowed Turkey to tell the Syrians you either kick him out or we will come in there to pick him up. And, it worked," explains analyst¹² Soli Ozel of Istanbul's Bilgi University.

But, since then, Turkish-Syrian relations have dramatically improved. In late December,  Syria and Turkey announced they have decided¹⁴ to cancel entry visa requirements of each other for their passport-holding citizens. At the end of a high-level meeting in Damascus, Mr. Erdogan hailed the the "brotherly ties" between the two countries and said it was an example to be followed.

The Turkish-Syrian relationship could spell trouble for relations with Israel.    Israeli Defense¹⁵ Minister Ehud Barak is due to travel to Turkey on Sunday on a visit planned before the two nations' diplomatic quarrel erupted.
 

1 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

2 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

3 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

6 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

7 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

8 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

9 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

10 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

11 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 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。

15 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。