VOA标准英语2010年-Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks End on

Secretary of State Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in Ramallah. There was no statement and no details of what, if any, progress might have been made after two days of negotiations¹ between Israelis and Palestinians.

President Abbas, however, sounded positive in his remarks as he began his meeting with Mrs. Clinton. He said everyone knows that there is no alternative other than negotiating for peace.

The Palestinian leader thanked the Obama administration for its commitment to mediating² a peace deal. Ms. Clinton said the United States will press ahead with its efforts to bring about an agreement.

"The United States and all of us led by President Obama are very committed and determined³ to work toward a peace agreement through direct negotiations that leads to an independent, sovereign, viable⁴, Palestinian state that realizes the aspirations⁵ of the Palestinian people," said Clinton.

The talks began Tuesday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh. It was the second round of direct negotiations after a 20-month hiatus.

Secretary Clinton then traveled to Amman in neighboring Jordan for a meeting and lunch with King Abdullah, before heading back to Washington.

There are questions of whether the negotiations could last beyond the end of the month. The Palestinians have threatened to quit talks if Israel does not extend a self-imposed partial moratorium⁶ on construction inside Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The temporary freeze expires on September 26, and Israel has given no hint that it will extend it.

The Palestinians say the presence of more than 100 Israeli settlements impede⁷ the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.

Militants⁸ in the Gaza Strip, which is not under the control of President Abbas' Palestinian Authority, oppose the negotiations with the Jewish State. They stepped up their attacks this week, firing a number of rockets into southern Israel. Israel responded by launching air attacks inside the Gaza Strip.

1 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。

2 mediating   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的现在分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• So many factors are mediating. 如此众多的因素在起作用。
• The contrast in mediating noted in the sitting room. 客厅中注重了调和中的对比。

3 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。

4 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

5 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

6 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

7 impede   

v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止

参考例句：

• One shouldn't impede other's progress.一个人不应该妨碍他人进步。
• The muddy roads impede our journey.我们的旅游被泥泞的道路阻挠了。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。