VOA标准英语2010年-Israel Calls for Peace Talks Amid Tens

Tensions soared last week when Syria's President accused Israel of avoiding peace, foreign minister threatened that Israeli cities would be attacked in event of war

Robert Berger | Jerusalem 07 February 2010

 
Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel says it is extending an olive branch to Syria in a bid to end an escalating¹ war of words.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to ease tensions with Syria by calling for a resumption of peace talks.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting here in Jerusalem, Mr. Netanyahu said "Israel wants peace agreements with all of its neighbors." He said this has been achieved with Egypt and Jordan, and Israel hopes for similar agreements with both the Palestinians and Syria.

Tensions soared last week when Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Israel of avoiding peace, and his foreign minister threatened that Israeli cities would be attacked in the event of war.

That brought a tough warning from Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Lieberman said that if there is war, Syria would lose and Mr. Assad and his family would be toppled from power

Peace talks between the two countries collapsed² in 2000, and, since then, Syria has warned that Israel's refusal to return the strategic Golan Heights could lead to war. Israel captured the Golan from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967 and annexed³ it in 1981.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Uzi Landau said the territory is not negotiable.

"The Golan will not be handed over to Syria," Landau said. "The Golan is part of the biblical Land of Israel," he said, "and is vital for Israel's security."

Syria says it will not return to the negotiating table until Israel agrees in advance to withdraw from the Golan Heights. But Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Cabinet that peace talks must resume without preconditions.

 

1 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。