VOA慢速英语--Syria Calls Evacuation of White Helmets ‘Criminal’
时间：2019-01-03 作者：英语课 分类：2018年VOA慢速英语(七)月
Syria has criticized the evacuation from Syria of hundreds of Syrian White Helmet rescue workers to Jordan.
A Syrian foreign ministry 1 official called the action a “criminal process” that showed the “true nature” of the White Helmets. The comments were reported by Syria’s state-run SANA news service.
The official said the evacuation demonstrated the involvement of Israel, the United States and other western allies in supporting the White Helmets. The group has received support from the U.S. and other Western nations.
The volunteer group - officially known as Syria Civil Defense 2 - was formed in 2013. It includes workers who enter attack areas before anyone else to rescue people in rebel-held territory.
The group says it is neutral in Syria’s civil war. But the Syrian government has accused the White Helmets of working to help rebel fighters. Syrian officials have called the White Helmets a “terrorist group.”
The Jordanian government said in a statement Sunday that 422 White Helmet members were moved from Syria to Jordan. The statement said Jordan agreed to accept the workers after Britain, Germany and Canada promised to help resettle them in the coming months.
The Israeli military cooperated with U.S. and European allies to carry out the evacuation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke 3 about the action in a video message. He said U.S. President Donald Trump 4, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others sought help to move the rescue workers out of Syria.
The operation took place near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Officials say Syrian troops had surrounded the White Helmets there. Syrian government forces and Russian allies have been fighting an offensive against Syrian rebels in the area.
“These are people who saved lives and whose lives are now in danger,” Netanyahu said. “I authorized 6 bringing them through Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian 7 gesture,” he added.
Britain’s foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, praised the evacuation and thanked Israel and Jordan in a tweet. The White Helmets, Hunt said, “are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation.”
The U.S. State Department said in a statement it welcomed the operation. It called on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia to honor their promises to “end the violence, and protect all Syrian civilians 8.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Words in This Story
evacuation – n. the action of leaving or removing someone from a dangerous place
authorize 5 – v. give official permission for something
gesture – n. something a person does to show others how they feel about a person or situation
desperate – adj. very bad or difficult to deal with
abide 9 by – phrasal verb. obey a rule
- They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
- We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
- He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
- The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。
- He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
- Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。
- An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。
- She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
- The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
- the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
- At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。