151 比特杰拉--处于冲突前沿的巴基斯坦小镇

151 比特杰拉--处于冲突前沿的巴基斯坦小镇

Beit Jala: A Palestinian Town on the Front Line
Meredith Buel
Beit Jala, West Bank
12 Jul 2001 02:00 UTC

The Palestinian town of Beit Jala is on the front line of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During more than nine months of 1)clashes, Palestinian gunmen fired from Beit Jala into a neighboring Jewish community on the 2)outskirts of Jerusalem. These incidents prompted a massive response from the Israeli military.
The village of Beit Jala is perched on a windy, 3)rocky hilltop in the West Bank, sandwiched between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Two-thirds of the 1,500 Palestinians who live here are Christians 1, and trace their roots in this community back more than 1,000 years.
Across a small valley from Beit Jala is the Jewish community of Gilo, built on 4)disputed land 5)captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Shortly after the Palestinian intifada began last September, Palestinian gunmen, under cover of darkness, began firing from Beit Jala into Gilo on a regular basis.
The Israeli military responded by pounding Beit Jala with missiles from combat 6)helicopters, tank shells, and heavy machine gun fire. This once 7)tranquil town suddenly began to 8)resemble a war zone with lives 9)shattered and homes destroyed.
So far, at least five people have died and more than 100 have been injured in the fighting at Beit Jala.
Nareman Kharofe's house is one of the 500 homes in Beit Jala severely 2 damaged by Israeli shelling. There are large holes in the walls and windows from tank shells and machine gun fire. According to Ms. Kharofe, her parents and her children were forced to 10)dodge bullets nearly every night. "Actually, it is very, very hard to live here," she said. "The life is so difficult. Even we have some moments that we were so close to death. I remember that my father and me [hid] here in the playground and the fire was exactly between our legs. My father, actually, was close to death. My children were really afraid, they were 11)scared. It is so hard to live here."
Nareman's mother, Laila Kharofe, blames the 12)bombardment for causing her husband's fatal heart attack. "When the shooting started, they just [destroyed] all the houses from all the sides," she says. "The rooms are destroyed, as you see, everything is destroyed. My daughter, she has two boys, every day we take them to the doctors because of what is going on. Even my husband died because of the clashes, I mean he had a heart attack because of the tension."
The fighting has had a major 13)impact on the children here. Nareman Kharofe says her two-and-one-half-year-old daughter is constantly suffering from nightmares. "Psychologically, yes, they are very nervous," she explains. "They are not stable people. They are screaming all the time and even when there are some clashes or shootings they really can not sleep. They have bad dreams until now they still have bad dreams, 14)nightmares."
A few people in Beit Jala have begun trying to repair their homes. A 15)bulldozer outside Kamal Nazal's house is 16)tearing down a wall that was 17)blasted by Israeli tank shells. Inside pictures of the Virgin 3 Mary and Jesus hang on some walls, while those facing Israeli-controlled territory are piled high with 18)sandbags.
Mr. Nazal's family first built the home in 1922, and he says he does not want to live anywhere else. "Because this is our house," he says. "I mean we have to sit at the house and we have to keep the house. This is our home. Simply this is our home and we have to return back and sit in the house. We invest all our money, all our savings 4 in this house, for me and for my children so it is 19)ridiculous to leave it and we are ready to die rather than destroy the house."
One of the best known businesses in Beit Jala is the Everest Hotel and Restaurant, which before the Palestinian uprising would attract hundreds of people a day. Now Israeli soldiers have blocked the road leading to the hotel, and owner Basheer Arja says he has not seen a 20)customer in months.
"It is so hard to explain what is going on," says Mr. Arja. "It is a 21)tragedy for us. When I come every day to the place there is nobody. The tables are empty and there is no business. It is a tragedy for the family and a tragedy for our business. It is a real 22)catastrophe actually. You know you wake up everyday and you have nothing."
According to the mayor of Beit Jala, Raji Zeidan, a number of 23)residents have left the town because of the fighting, and those who remain fear another round of 24)bloodshed. "They are still afraid of a new bombardment," he says. "They are facing a very dangerous economic situation. More than 50 percent of the working people are out of work now because of the 25)siege 26)imposed around the city."
There has been an uneasy calm in Beit Jala since Israel and the Palestinians declared a cease-fire last month. But Israeli tanks and machine guns remain in the surrounding hills, pointed 5 at this community. The residents know that if the firing 27)resumes, they will once again face the 28)wrath of the most powerful military in the Middle East.

(1) clash[klAF]n.冲突, 撞击声, 抵触v.猛撞, 冲突
(2) outskirts[5aJtsk:ts]n.边界, (尤指)市郊
(3) rocky[`rCkI]adj.多岩石的, 坚如岩石的, 坚固的
(4) disputed v.争议
(5) capture[5kAptFE(r)]n.捕获, 战利品vt.俘获, 捕获, 夺取
(6) helicopter[5helIkRptE(r)]n.直升(飞)机, 直升机
(7) tranquil[5trANkwIl]adj.安静的
(8) resemble[rI5zemb(E)l]vt.象, 类似
(9) shatter[5FAtE(r)]n.粉碎, 碎片vt.打碎, 使散开, 粉碎, 破坏vi.粉碎, 损坏
(10) dodge[dRdV]v.避开, 躲避n. 诡计, 躲藏
(11) scared[skeEd]adj.恐惧的
(12) bombardment[bRm5bB:dmEnt]n.炮击, 轰击
(13) impact[5ImpAkt]n.碰撞, 冲击, 冲突, 影响, 效果vt.挤入, 对...发生影响
(14) nightmare[5naItmeE(r)]n.梦魇, 恶梦, 可怕的事物
(15) bulldozer[5bJldEJzE(r)]n.推土机
(16) tear down v.扯下, 拆卸, 逐条驳斥, 诋毁
(17) blast[blB:st; U.S. blAst]n.爆炸, 冲击波vt.爆炸, 毁灭, 使枯萎
(18) sandbag[5sAndbA^]n.沙袋vt.堆沙袋, 用沙袋打
(19) ridiculous[rI5dIkjJlEs]adj.荒谬的, 可笑的
(20) customer[5kQstEmE(r)]n.消费者
(21) tragedy[5trAdVIdI]n.悲剧, 惨案, 悲惨, 灾难
(22) catastrophe[kE5tAstrEfI]n.大灾难, 大祸
(23) resident[5rezIdEnt]n.居民adj.居住的, 常驻的
(24) bloodshed[5blQdFed]n.流血
(25) impose[Im5pEJz]vt.征税, 强加vi.利用, 欺骗, 施影响
(26) siege[si:dV]n.包围,不断袭击, 围攻v.包围, 围攻
(27) resume[rI5zju:m; (?@) -5zu:m]n.摘要, 履历vt.再继续, 重新开始, 恢复
(28) wrath[rRW; (?@) rAW]n.愤怒