VOA标准英语2010年-Tensions Escalate Over West Bank Holy

The West Bank city of Hebron has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It is holy to both Muslims and Jews as the site where both traditions say the Biblical Abraham is buried. Plans by Israel to include it in a list of Israeli national heritage sites have touched off clashes and prompted the Palestinian leadership to warn of a new Intifada, or popular uprising. The tensions persist and are overshadowing prospects¹ for new peace negotiations². 

To Muslims, it is the Ibrahimi Mosque³. To Jews, it is the Cave of the Patriarchs.  To both, it is one of their holiest sites.

Recently, anger exploded after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added it and Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem, both on the occupied West Bank, to Israel's list of national heritage sites. The designation will ensure state funding.

"The decision is not a political decision and was not a political statement," Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz said. Hershkowitz is a member of Mr. Netanyahu's cabinet. He led the call for the decision. "The decision refers more to a line-budget to maintain the places."

Israel seized control of the cave, in Hebron, and Rachel's tomb during the 1967 Arab Israeli war.

Today, there are hundreds of Jewish settlers living in enclaves in Hebron. With no peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, the holy sites are on disputed ground.   

Hebron's Palestinian residents, like Hussam Abdeen, see the recent move as a further Israeli claim on occupied territory and a provocation⁴. "They want to move all of the Palestinian territories to be on fire, and they are trying to prepare the land for the third Intifada (uprising)," he said.

Palestinian leaders recently moved their weekly cabinet meeting to Hebron in protest. "This is our response, and the Israeli measures, which violate and go against international law, we are determined⁵ to stand firm against them to achieve our aim," Salaam⁶ Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister said.
 
The beliefs fueling this latest dispute run deep.

When the smoke cleared, Muslim schoolboys from across the West Bank came to visit the shrine⁷, and reaffirm its importance. "This is the place where our prophet Abraham was buried," one school boy explains, "This is a holy Muslim shrine."

To Jews, the site is just as sacred.  

"Declaring that this place is a heritage official Israeli site means that the Jewish State, the State of Israel, is really a continuation of the very, very long historical Jewish chain that connects the Jewish people to this land," Noam Arnon said. Arnon is a spokesman for Jewish settlers in Hebron.

Since 1967, Jews have worshipped in a part of the mosque converted into a synagogue.  Many Jews complain that Israeli security forces do not give them equal access to the sanctuary⁸.

Hebron has been the site of several massacres⁹ over the past century.  The latest was in 1994, when Baruch Goldstein, an American-born Israeli Jew, opened fire in the mosque, killing¹⁰ 29 Muslims.

Since then, entire sections of the city were emptied of their Palestinian residents. 

Much of Hebron now resembles a ghost town, home to neither Palestinian nor Israeli.
 

1 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

4 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 salaam   

n.额手之礼，问安，敬礼；v.行额手礼

参考例句：

• And the people were so very friendly:full of huge beaming smiles,calling out "hello" and "salaam".这里的人民都很友好，灿然微笑着和我打招呼，说“哈罗”和“萨拉姆”。
• Salaam is a Muslim form of salutation.额手礼是穆斯林的问候方式。

7 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

8 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

9 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。