Broadcast: March 5,
2003
Conflict Has 1)Crippled Palestinian Economy
The World Bank says the
Palestinian economy has been 2)devastated by more than two years of conflict with
Israel.
In a report issued
Tuesday, the World Bank said that more than half of the 3.5 million
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are living in poverty.
The report says the
majority of Palestinians are now earning less than two dollars a day and that
only massive foreign aid is preventing full economic collapse.
The World Bank estimates
that the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that began in September 2000 has
now cost the Palestinian economy more than $5 billion. This is equal to the
entire wealth generated by Palestinians, in the year before the violence began.
The World Bank says that
the main cause of this situation has been Israel's 3)sealing off of the
territories and the 4)imposition of 5)curfews and
other restrictions on Palestinian towns and villages.
The report says that such
measures have been imposed in a 6)discriminatory fashion. The World Bank says the
restrictions are applied in such a way that they hurt Palestinian exporters,
but have less impact on Palestinian imports from Israel.
The World Bank
acknowledges that Israel has publicly expressed regret for the need to impose
such measures in the name of security, including stopping Palestinian suicide
bombers and gunmen from attacking its citizens.
The World Bank says the
challenge for Israel is to "find ways" to protect its citizens
"without destroying the Palestinian economy and 7)livelihoods of
ordinary Palestinians".
The challenge for
Palestinians, the report says, is to diversify its economic base and reduce its
dependence on Israel. But the World Bank stresses that for such a strategy to
succeed it would itself require the active cooperation of Israel.
Ross Dunn for VOA news, Jerusalem.
1) cripple [5kripl] v.削弱，使瘫痪
2) devastate [5devEsteit]
vt.毁坏，摧毁
3) seal
off 把……封锁起来
4) imposition [7impE5ziFEn]
n.强迫接受
5) curfew [5kE:fju:]
n.宵禁令
6) discriminatory [di5skriminEtEri]
adj.有差别的
7) livelihood [5laivlihud]
n.生计，谋生
播报时间：2003年3月5日
冲突摧毁了巴勒斯坦经济
世界银行称，持续两年多的巴以冲突摧毁了巴勒斯坦的经济。
世界银行在星期二发布的一份报告中称，居住在约旦河西岸和加沙地带的350万巴勒斯坦人中有一半以上生活在贫困之中。
报告指出，大多数巴勒斯坦人目前的日工资不到2美元，它的经济没有彻底崩溃完全归功于大规模的外国援助。
世界银行估计，始于2000年9月的巴勒斯坦起义（即intifada）到目前为止给巴勒斯坦经济造成了50多亿美元的损失。而这一数字正是巴勒斯坦人在暴力冲突爆发前的那一年所创造的全部财富。
世界银行说，造成这一局势的主要原因是以色列对这个地区的封锁、强行宵禁和对巴勒斯坦乡镇实行的其它限制措施。
报告称，这些措施的实行是有差别的。世界银行说，实行这些限制措施对巴勒斯坦的出口商造成伤害，但不会给以色列对巴勒斯坦的出口造成太大影响。
世界银行承认，以色列在公开场合对其需要以安全名义来强制执行的措施（包括阻止人体炸弹和武装分子对其国民的攻击）表示了遗憾。
世界银行说，以色列所面临的挑战是，在既保护本国国民而又“不摧毁巴勒斯坦经济和普通巴勒斯坦人生计”的框架下“寻求解决方式”。
报告说，巴勒斯坦人面临的挑战是使经济基础多样化和减少对以色列的依赖。但世界银行强调说，要成功实施这样一个战略还需要以色列的积极合作。
这是“美国之音”新闻部的罗斯戴恩从耶路撒冷发出的报道。