4. Which side do you think the writer is on?
A. Israel's.
B.
Palestine's.
C. Analysts'.
D. None of
the above.
Passage 8 Trapping the cat?
He has lived through countless dangers but time may be
running out for the Palestinian (巴勒斯坦) leader, Yasser Arafat.
On September 11, Israel (以色列) announced its decision to remove him, following several
Palestinian suicide bomb attacks on Israel. "He should take some
responsibility for the killings," an Israeli official said. "He has
done nothing to stop the terrorist groups."
But the decision has angered many other countries. China said that Arafat is the true leader,
elected by the Palestinian people, and removing him would harm the peace in the
Middle East. This view is shared by other
governments.
Arafat himself said: "They can kill me, but never get me out of my
country." He has spent most of his life in danger as the chief target (目标) of Israel. But, just like a cat
with nine lives, Arafat escaped every time.
For years he has made a practice of sleeping in a different bed each
night, thinking a moving target is harder to hit.
In 1985, Israel
sent fighter planes to kill Arafat. The wild bombing destroyed his old
headquarters (总部) in Tunis
but Arafat himself was unhurt.
In 1992, the aircraft in which he was flying over north Africa broke in
two during a crash landing. The crew was killed but he managed to remain alive.
What is so unbelievable is that he always remains calm in great danger.
Israeli tanks and helicopters attacked his headquarters in Ramallah in December, 2001. When they saw the attackers
coming, Arafat's bodyguards ignored his orders to stay still and carried him to
safety underground. Seconds later, several bombs exploded nearby. Though safe,
his bodyguards were so scared they were soaked in sweat.
But Arafat, with Israeli tanks only 200 metres
away, showed no fear at all. He stayed in the damaged office, contacting
foreign leaders in hope of preventing further attacks from Israel.
All these experiences have made him a mysterious man,
and one of the world's most legendary (传奇式的) leaders.
But has he used up the last of his nine lives? Only time will tell.