英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 26, 2011)
No shortcut to statehood for Palestinians
パレスチナ　国家樹立と和平に近道はない（9月25日付・読売社説）

For Palestinians to achieve the status of a true independent state, they have no choice but to negotiate with Israel.
　パレスチナが真の独立国家の地位を得るには、イスラエルとの交渉しか道はない。

They should bear in mind that quick resumption of negotiations is the key to achieving this goal.
交渉の早期再開こそが重要である。

The Palestinian Authority on Friday submitted a letter to the United Nations asking to join the international body, an attempt to shelve efforts to establish a state through negotiations and instead directly seek recognition of Palestinian statehood from U.N. members.
　パレスチナ自治政府が２３日、国連に加盟申請書を提出した。交渉による国家樹立の道を棚上げし、国連加盟国に直接、国家としての承認を求めたものだ。

With this move, the Palestinians effectively thrust a letter of no confidence at the United States, which has been working as a mediator between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
交渉の仲介役を務めてきた米国には不信任状を突きつけた形だ。

For a state to join the United Nations, the U.N. Security Council must advise the General Assembly to accept it. 　国連加盟には、安全保障理事会による総会への加盟勧告が必要だ。

The council plans to meet soon to discuss how to handle the Palestinians' request.
安保理は近く、パレスチナの加盟申請の扱いを協議する。

The United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, has expressed its intention to veto any council move to recognize Palestinian statehood.
　常任理事国の米国は拒否権を行使する意向を示している。

But there are concerns the situation will become even more complicated if the council actually votes on the issue.
安保理で採決する事態となれば、問題はさらにこじれる恐れがある。

If the United States uses its veto, it will inevitably heighten anti-U.S. sentiment, destabilizing the situation in the Middle East even more.
米国の拒否権行使によって反米感情が高まり、中東情勢は一層不安定化するだろう。

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Resume talks quickly

To avoid such a development, the international community must seek ways to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table as soon as possible.
　それを避けるためにも、イスラエル、パレスチナ双方をできるだけ早く交渉の席に着かせる道を探らなければならない。

The international powers known as the Quartet on the Middle East--the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations--presented a new road map to both sides Friday, under which Israel and the Palestinians will decide on an agenda for negotiations within a month and reach an agreement by the end of next year.
　米、露、欧州連合（ＥＵ）、国連の４者は双方に、１か月以内に交渉の議題を決め、来年末までに妥結させる新たな行程表を示した。

The international community, including Japan, must do its utmost to realize the road map.
その実現に、国際社会は全力を挙げる必要がある。日本も、後押しすべきだ。

The Palestinian Authority is acting hastily to obtain recognition as a state apparently because its people are increasingly disillusioned by the lack of prospects for building a Palestinian state 20 years after the start of the Middle East peace process.
　自治政府が国家としての承認を焦るのは、中東和平プロセスが始まって２０年たった今も、国家樹立の展望が開けていないからだ。

The Palestinians managed to win autonomy under an agreement with Israel.
　パレスチナ側は、イスラエルとの合意で自治は獲得した。

However, subsequent negotiations for a Palestinian state remain stalled.
だが、その後、国家樹立をめぐる交渉は頓挫したままだ。

In the meantime, Israel has built one settlement after another in occupied land Palestinians consider part of their territory for a future state, effectively turning it into Israeli territory.
　この間、パレスチナ側が将来の国家領土と考える土地では、ユダヤ人入植地が次々に建設され、イスラエル領化が進んでいる。

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U.N. application a last resort

The Palestinian Authority apparently filed its statehood application with the United Nations as a last resort to escape a dead end.
　自治政府はその袋小路を脱する最後の手段として、加盟申請に踏み切ったのだろう。

However, as U.S. President Barack Obama said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, it will be impossible to establish a Palestinian state or achieve the peaceful coexistence of two states without an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
　しかし、オバマ米大統領が２１日の国連演説で語ったように、イスラエルと自治政府の合意がなければ、パレスチナ国家の樹立も２国家の平和共存も達成できない。

There are no shortcuts to that goal.
そこに至る近道はない。

The Palestinian Authority has a problem that needs to be resolved: Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist group that does not recognize the existence of Israel, rules the Gaza Strip.
　自治政府側には、イスラエルの存在を認めようとしないイスラム原理主義組織ハマスが自治区の一部を支配しているという問題がある。

As an initial step, the Palestinians need to settle their internal divisions.
自治政府はまず、この足元の分裂を正すことが重要だ。

In the increasingly volatile Middle East, Israel is about to lose its stable relationships with Turkey and Egypt, which have served as cornerstones for its security in the region.
　イスラエルは、中東における自国の安全保障の要だったトルコ、エジプトとの安定的な関係を失いつつある。

To prevent itself from being further isolated, Israel must freeze its settlements in the occupied land, as requested by the Palestinian side, and resume negotiations for peace.
これ以上の孤立化を避けるためにも、パレスチナ側が求める「入植凍結」に踏みきり、交渉を再開すべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 25, 2011)
（2011年9月25日01時09分 読売新聞）