聽遍美國政治新聞--耶路撒冷的東西兩岸對立

East Meets West Jerusalem Style

Where east meets west has a different meaning in Jerusalem.Israeli police fingerprint【采指紋】a Palestinian youth in the street, at a new checkpoint(1) right outside the walled old city. Bags are x-rayed by a mobile unit just like at an airport. The purpose to stop would be Palestinian bombers from getting across town to strike at Israeli targets. All 18-year-old Kaleel wants is to get across town to find a job. “We must have food in our houses,” he says, “the job, the food, is over there”. The new checkpoints are among the urgent(2) Israeli security moves including the pouring【投入】of soldiers and police onto the streets after a series of deadly attacks in the heart of west Jerusalem, the Jewish side of town.

Israel tore down barricades(3) dividing the city after conquering(4) the east and traditionally Arab section in the 1967 war, and claims the entire city as its indivisible(5) capital. The Palestinians want the eastern section to be the capital of their future state. Only 18 months ago under President Clinton they were talking about that, peaceful ways of dividing and sharing the city. Any tinkering【拙劣修補】 with the shape of Jerusalem is sensitive(6) business especially at a time when fear is a dominant(7) emotion. The roadblocks【路障】are a part of a major security project. A partly visible, partly invisible barrier of fences【柵欄】roadblocks, police patrols(8) and lofty【高大的】 outposts【前哨】. Along the unmarked dividing line where Arab and Jewish neighborhoods come together, where memories of some attacks are still fresh and where fears are most pronounced【明顯的】.

“There is not any Political purpose behind it. It’s a simple way to try to make the entry into Jerusalem harder for those who try to commit suicidal(9) attacks. This is not a political division of the city and I think so long as the Israelis shy away from the idea of political division of the city there will be no solution(10) and there will be no security”.

Prime Minister Arial Sherome is pushing a more ambitious(11) project an envelope【包圍】concept where the Israeli security blockades(12) would be here around the perimeter【周界】of east Jerusalem, ringing【環(huán)繞】the Arab suburbs.

“So, no division of Jerusalem, only Israel’s security interests. And yet could there not be something in this Israeli security plan, people ask, that offers some encouragement to those on both sides of the divide who believe that the only way to stem(13) the bloody【血腥的】confrontation(14) and the fear is for the two peoples to begin disengaging【釋放解脫】from each other. ”

Allie, an Israeli lives just by the checkpoint in a low income neighborhood on the fracture【裂縫】 line. Not walls, no, but borders and users, you know, borders wouldn’t be such a bad thing. At least it would mean that Palestinians wouldn’t be over here on our side. Achmed has just had his fingerprints taken, “if they want to print me” he says with a shrug【聳肩】, “ok, but they know just like everyone else knows that if someone really wants to get through to kill himself, nothing will stop him. ”

As attempts to dictate【命令】 a security solution falter【動搖】the idea of separation becomes more and more enticing【利誘】for many Israelis. It is still a long way for that to become a new political reality but on the ground even Israeli drivers are now being scrutinized【詳細檢查】. Once their IDs are checked they’re quickly waved through. Palestinian cars going across town are given a much more thorough going over, as East meeting West in Jerusalem becomes rarer and rarer. Jourks, CNN, Jerusalem.


聽音瓶頸詞匯

1. checkpoint[]n.檢查站；關卡
2. urgent []adj.緊急
3. barricade[]n.阻擋交通的障礙物
4. conquer []v.征服
5. indivisible[]adj.不可分割的
6. sensitive[]adj.敏感的
7. dominant []adj.支配
8. patrol []v.巡邏
9. suicidal[]adj.自殺性的
10. solution[]n. 解決方法
11. ambitious[]adj.野心的
12. blockade []v.封鎖
13. stem []v.阻止
14. confrontation[]n.對峙

聽音高級短語

tear down 拆毀
so long as 只要
shy away 回避
get through 通過

聽音超級句型

…is sensitive business especially at a time when fear is a dominant emotion.
…是一個敏感的事物，尤其在這個人心惶惶的時刻。

…is pushing a more ambitious project.
…正在推行一個富有野心的計劃。

If someone really wants to… then nothing will stop him.
如果有人真正想…，任何事情都無法阻止他。