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voa标准英语2012--Palestinians Blame Israel for Economic Slump

时间:2012-11-28 08:45:40

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Palestinians Blame Israel for Economic Slump1

Ramallah residents are used to adjusting to the pressures of the Israeli occupation, and the city has been lauded2 for its economic growth.

But as the region is squeezed economically, some on the West Bank are questioning their leaders in the Palestinian Authority, based in this city.

"I don’t expect any help from the Palestinian Authority. Maybe if a state is established, but as long as the PA lives on funding, it will never get better," said a Palestinian teenager.

"The PA treats the Israelis better than it treats us," said another.

These young men live in Ramallah's Amari refugee camp, home to 7,000 people whose families became refugees in the 1948 war that established Israel.

They are governed by the Palestinian Authority, which relies on foreign aid to meet its budget. 

As the global economy falters3, that aid has dropped by half to less than a billion dollars annually4. The authority can't pay its workers on time.

The Omeir family supports three generations and two complete families in this small house. Nour is their main support. She's a teacher on the Palestinian Authority's payroll5 and has not received her salary in months.

"The Palestinian Authority is not able to administer correctly," said Nour.

Her husband Nazir is a carpenter. He has not worked for more than a year since few have the money to pay for his labor6. But he is pragmatic. 

"We need to be better neighbors with Israel. Then we can open the borders for trade," said Nazir.

But like most Ramallah residents, he believes Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank is making peace nearly impossible.

"The Israelis have put in obstacles because they cannot agree to negotiate over refugees. Since the settlements, all negotiations7 are deadlocked8. The settlements are the biggest obstacles to peace," he said.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says only Palestinian independence will free the area from hardship. 

The Palestinian Authority plans to press the UN to upgrade Palestinian status to a non-member state.

"We're gonna get it. We're gonna get it. We have many nations that will stand tall with us," said Erekat.

But it's unclear how that would affect life on the West Bank. Business there is disrupted daily by Israel's checkpoints and its restrictions9 on trade. 

Former Minister for the National Economy Mazen Sinokrot says unemployment, which stands at about 25 percent, is a major threat. 

"Many of our good Palestinians are so depressed10 because they cannot find jobs. We are in need to create not less than one million jobs in the upcoming eight years. So this is a huge responsibility and challenge for everyone, including the international community," said Sinokrot.

Poverty is growing. If things continue this way, these pre-schoolers will have no future in the West Bank. Almost half of families in West Bank refugee camps are classified as “food insecure” by the United Nations.

For families like the Omeirs, survival comes through barter11 and loans from friends. And they worry.

"I want things for my children, a promising12 future, good prospects13, and all external sides are not helping," she said.

And that is likely to continue. Israel is threatening retaliation14, possibly cutting off tax moneys owed to the Palestinian Authority, if it actually does move for upgraded U.N. status. And that could make life much worse for Palestinians in the occupied territories. 


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1 slump 4E8zU     
n.暴跌,意气消沉,(土地)下沉;vi.猛然掉落,坍塌,大幅度下跌
参考例句:
  • She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
  • Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。
2 lauded b67508c0ca90664fe666700495cd0226     
v.称赞,赞美( laud的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • They lauded the former president as a hero. 他们颂扬前总统为英雄。 来自辞典例句
  • The nervy feats of the mountaineers were lauded. 登山者有勇气的壮举受到赞美。 来自辞典例句
3 falters fd2ab5918c10d6fbce972ade02d2da5c     
(嗓音)颤抖( falter的第三人称单数 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃
参考例句:
  • He never falters in his determination. 他的决心从不动摇。
  • The plan never falters; the design never changes. It is all ordered. 大自然从不步履蹒跚,从不三心二意,一切都是有条不紊。
4 annually VzYzNO     
adv.一年一次,每年
参考例句:
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
5 payroll YmQzUB     
n.工资表,在职人员名单,工薪总额
参考例句:
  • His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
  • I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。
6 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
7 negotiations af4b5f3e98e178dd3c4bac64b625ecd0     
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。
8 deadlocked 64307541978e39468a60c1da7fb7ba83     
陷入僵局的;僵持不下的
参考例句:
  • The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
  • The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。
9 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
10 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
11 barter bu2zJ     
n.物物交换,以货易货,实物交易
参考例句:
  • Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上,鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
  • They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。
12 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
13 prospects fkVzpY     
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。
14 retaliation PWwxD     
n.报复,反击
参考例句:
  • retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
  • He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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