East Meets West Jerusalem Style

Where east meets west has a different meaning in Jerusalem.Israeli police fingerprint【采指纹】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【拙劣修补】 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【栅栏】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【明显的】.

“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【包围】concept where the Israeli security blockades(12) would be here around the perimeter【周界】of east Jerusalem, ringing【环绕】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【释放解脱】from each other. ”

Allie, an Israeli lives just by the checkpoint in a low income neighborhood on the fracture【裂缝】 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【耸肩】, “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【动摇】the idea of separation becomes more and more enticing【利诱】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【详细检查】. 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.


听音瓶颈词汇

1. checkpoint[]n.检查站；关卡
2. urgent []adj.紧急
3. barricade[]n.阻挡交通的障碍物
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.巡逻
9. suicidal[]adj.自杀性的
10. solution[]n. 解决方法
11. ambitious[]adj.野心的
12. blockade []v.封锁
13. stem []v.阻止
14. confrontation[]n.对峙

听音高级短语

tear down 拆毁
so long as 只要
shy away 回避
get through 通过

听音超级句型

…is sensitive business especially at a time when fear is a dominant emotion.
…是一个敏感的事物，尤其在这个人心惶惶的时刻。

…is pushing a more ambitious project.
…正在推行一个富有野心的计划。

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

耶路撒冷的东西两岸对立

耶路撒冷东西两岸的对立有着非同寻常的意义。古老的城镇被城墙包围着，在城墙外一新检查站，以色列警方正在街上采集一位巴勒斯坦青年的指纹。所有的袋子像在机场一样要经过移动的红外线装置的检查。检查的目的是为了防止巴勒斯坦爆炸制造者进入城镇对以色列目标进行袭击。而这名18岁叫Kaleel的年轻人只是想到城镇那边去找份工作，“家里需要食物”，他说，“而工作和食物就在那边。”新的检查站是以色列政府在遭遇一系列“致命袭击”事件后采取的紧急安全措施之一，其中还包括在耶路撒冷西部心脏地带即犹太人定居点城镇街道上大量部署士兵和警察。

以色列在1967年战争中占领东耶路撒冷和一些阿拉伯地区之后拆除了分隔两岸的障碍物，宣布整个耶路撒冷为其不可分割的首都。而巴勒斯坦人想把东耶路撒冷作为他们将来国家的首都。18个月前在克林顿总统的主持下他们曾讨论过以和平的方式分割和共享这座城市。任何关于耶路撒冷城市划分的话题都是敏感的，尤其在这个人心惶惶的时刻。路障是主要安全措施的一部分。警察在隐约可见的栅栏围起来的路障前巡逻，高耸的哨岗也有哨兵监视。沿着这条阿拉伯人和犹太人居民混集的不明分界线，在这一带，人们对袭击记忆犹新，而且明显地感到恐惧。

“这些路障的设置并不是出于政治的原因，只是作为防止制造自杀性攻击的巴勒斯坦人进入耶城的一种简单途径。 这并不是一条政治的分界线!我想只要以色列回避从政治上分割这座城市，就不会有解决办法,也不会有安全。”

以色列总理沙龙正在推行一项更具野心的包围计划, 那就是以色列将对东耶路撒冷进行环绕安全封锁，包围阿拉伯城郊。

“耶路撒冷并不存在什么政治性的分界，仅仅是出于以色列的安全利益而已。难道在这个以色列安全计划里就不能有一些鼓励双方的措施吗？让他们相信解决血腥的对峙和恐惧的方法是双方共同寻求一条和平的道路。”

Allie，一个居住在分界线附近低收入区的以色列人，对于他来说，那些不是城墙，而是边界，边界并不会是一件坏事，起码那些巴勒斯坦人不能到我们这边来。Achmed刚刚进行了指纹检查，“如果他们想检查，”他耸耸肩说道，“让他们检查好了。但就像其他每一个人都清楚的那样，他们也知道，如果有人真想从这里通过去进行自杀袭击的话，是无法阻止的。”

由于想实行安全计划，许多以色列人动摇了分割的想法。实现政治分界仍遥遥无期。现在连以色列司机都要被检查。不过,一旦他们的身份确定，便很快得以放行通过。随着东西两岸交流的减少，过境的巴勒斯坦汽车就要经过更全面的检查。这是CNN新闻，我是Jourks，在耶路撒冷为你报道。