聯合國呼籲成立巴勒斯坦援助基金 UN launched an appeal for emergency aid for Palestinians (2006年)
聯合國推動籌集4億5千萬美元，在2007年成立巴勒斯坦人道援助基金，改善巴勒斯坦地區的生活。巴勒斯坦出現經濟危機是由於巴勒斯坦伊斯蘭運動組織──哈馬斯拒絕承認以色列的生存權，又拒絕宣示放棄使用暴力，歐盟和美國遂決定自2006年年初暫停對巴勒斯坦的援助，以抵制哈馬斯領導的巴勒斯坦政府。是次抵制行動使得巴勒斯坦的經濟出現了危機，愈來愈多西岸和加沙的居民無法負擔日常的家庭開支，健康和教育等基本服務急速惡化，失業率高達25%至40%。因此，聯合國推動籌集資金，在2007成立巴勒斯坦人道援助基金，以改善當地人民的生活。
In 2006, the UN agencies appealed for donors to provide US$450 million in emergency humanitarian funds for Palestine in 2007 to improve the deteriorating living condition over the territories. Financial crisis arose in Palestine when the US and Europe imposed sanctions on the Palestinian government in 2006 because Hamas, an Islamic organization, refused to recognize Israel or renounce violence. As a result of the crippling sanctions, more and more residents in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are living in poverty. The unemployment rate has soared to 25% - 40% and people there cannot even afford daily needs. Basic services such as health care and education are deteriorating. In view of the gloom situation, the United Nations called for raising the humanitarian funds for Palestine in 2007.
以黎衝突(2006年1月) The Israeli-Lebanon conflict (January 2006)
2006年1月，巴勒斯坦的哈馬斯通過美國倡導的民主選舉，但美國和以色列卻立刻在經濟上制裁哈馬斯，要讓他下台，導致巴勒斯坦的經濟困境與哈馬斯的不滿。同年6月，哈馬斯襲擊加沙南部以色列境內的一處以軍哨所，造成3名以軍士兵死亡、1名士兵被綁架。以色列隨後逮捕並囚禁大批哈馬斯政府的部長和議員，接著又大規模轟炸及入侵加沙地區，以黎衝突爆發。
7月12日早上，黎巴嫩真主黨向以色列北部和以軍的陣地發射炮彈和火箭彈，以軍隨即予以反擊。黎巴嫩不斷向以色列境內發射火箭彈，以色列軍隊亦對黎境內的民用機場、道路和橋梁進行猛烈轟炸，又以戰艦封鎖黎巴嫩的沿海。衝突造成1,100名黎巴嫩人和150名以色列人喪生，其中大部分為無辜平民，90多萬黎巴嫩人被逼離開家園。在聯合國的調停下，雙方才於8月達成停火協議，結束歷時1個多月的衝突。
In January 2006, Hamas of Palestine won the democratic election supported by the US. The US and Israel responded by a cut of financial assistance to Palestine, aiming to force Hamas out of power. Their action had put Palestine into economic difficulty and irritated Hamas. In June the same year, Hamas hit an Israeli sentry post in the southern Gaza Strip, killing 3 Israeli soldiers, and kidnapping one. Israeli speedily arrested and imprisoned a number of ministers and councillors of the Hamas government and launched massive bombing and intrusion into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli-Lebanon conflict was on the verge of breaking out.
On 12 July 2006 morning, Hezbollah fired rockets and mortars at Israeli military positions and border villages in the north. The assault was immediately responded by Israel's counterattacks and the Israeli-Lebanon conflict broke out. Since then, Lebanon had launched rocket attacks toward the Israeli territory incessantly, and Israel responded with massive attack on Lebanese civilian infrastructure, including airport, roads and bridges, and a naval blockade. The conflict was brought to an end by the UN-brokered ceasefire in August 2006. By then it had killed over 1,100 Lebanese and 150 Israelis, most of whom were civilians, and displaced about 900,000 Lebanese.
As soon as Hamas went into open confrontation with Israel, Hezbollah of Lebanon proclaimed its support for Hamas. On 12 July morning, Hezbollah initiated a diversionary rocket and mortar attacks at Israeli military positions and villages near the Lebanese border; at the same time, its ground contingent crossed the border into Israeli territory and attacked Israeli military vehicles, killing three Israeli soldiers, and capturing another two. A tank was sent in an attempt to rescue the two kidnapped soldiers but the rescuers were attacked when they entered the Lebanese territory. Four of them were killed in the blast instantly, and the fifth soldier died during an ensuing firefight.
On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah initiated the military operation named "Operation Truthful Promise" (誠實的許諾行動), by which it attacked northern Israel, killing 8 Israeli soldiers and captured another two. This irritated Israel which struck back with the "Operation Just Reward" (正義報酬行動).
At the night of 18 July, the Israeli troops stormed the Baalbek district of Lebanon.
第一次摩洛哥危機 The First Moroccan Crisis (1905-06年)
1904年，英法兩國簽訂了「摯誠協定」，法國可自由據摩洛哥為自己殖民地，此舉驚動了德國，1905 年，德皇為遏止法國的野心，出訪摩洛哥重要的港口丹吉爾，並表明摩洛哥必須獨立。1906年，12個國家代表參加在西班牙阿爾及西勒舉行的會議，決定把犘洛哥劃歸在法國的勢力範圍內，法德關係因而惡化。
In 1904, the Entente Cordiale was signed between France and Britain, by which France was given a free hand in Morocco. This alarmed Germany whose Kaiser, William II, favoured an active colonial policy and who was trying to secure colonies in Africa. To keep in check French ambitions, the German Kaiser visited Tangier, an important part in Morocco, in 1905. In 1906, twelve states sent representatives to the conference at Algeciras in Spain. It was decided that Morocco was to come within the French sphere of influence. Franco-German relations worsened.
波斯尼亞危機 Bosnian Crisis (1908年)
1908年，奧、匈霸佔了波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那，這引起塞爾維亞和俄國的不滿，塞爾維亞希望能控制鄰近的波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那，以便成立一個廣大的斯拉夫獨立國家。德國支援奧、匈，令俄、塞迫不得已，只好接納奧、匈的兼併行動。在塞爾維亞，反奧情緒日益高漲，塞爾維亞人甚至成立了名為「黑手」的秘密恐怖組織，鼓吹反奧、匈的民族運動。
In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia and Russia were angry at the Austrian action. Serbia hoped to bring the neighbouring lands of Bosnia and Herzegovina under her control and form a large independent Slav country. Germany declared that she would aid Austria-Hungary. The German intervention discouraged Russian from taking immediate action against Austria-Hungary. Russia and Serbia were therefore forced to accept the annexation. However, anti-Austrian feeling increased in Serbia. A terrorist secret society, the Black Hand was formed by the Serbs to encourage a nationalist movement against Austria-Hungary.
第二次摩洛哥危機 The Second Moroccan Crisis (1911年)
1911年，摩洛哥爆發了蘇丹事件，蘇丹向法國求助，法國遂派兵佔領摩洛哥首都非斯，而德國亦派遣「黑豹號」炮艦前往阿加迪爾，保護德國的利益，法國在英國的支持下，向德國宣戰，最後德國退讓，摩洛哥成為法國的保護國，化解了第二次摩洛哥危機。
In 1911, there was an uprising against the sultan in Morocco. Sultan then asked France for help, who sent troops to capture Fez, the Moroccan capital. The German kaiser sent a gunboat, the Panther, to Agadir to protect German interest. A war between Germany and France (supported by Britain) seemed likely. In the end, Germany backed down. The Second Moroccan Crisis was settled when Morocco became a protectorate under France.
巴爾幹戰爭 Balkan Wars (1912-13年)
二十世紀初葉，沒落中的土耳其帝國進一步積弱，巴爾幹國家準備趁此局勢從中得益，把土耳其人趕出歐洲，兩次巴爾幹戰爭就此爆發。戰爭後，土耳其失去大部分土耳其失地，反之，塞爾維亞、希臘和保加利亞則分得大部分土耳其失地。
The declining Turkish Empire was further weakened at the turn of the 20th century. Balkan countries were ready to take advantage of the situation to drive the Turks out of Europe. Two Balkan Wars broke out. After the wars, Turkey lost most of her European territory, whereas Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria shared among themselves most of the territories Turkey had lost.
以阿戰爭 The Arab-Israeli War (1948-49)
由於阿拉伯人拒絕接受以色列的存在和聯合國提出瓜分巴勒斯坦的建議，埃及、敘利亞、約旦和伊拉克聯合巴勒斯坦的阿拉伯人攻擊以色列。1949年2月，以色列把阿拉伯人擊退，她所獲得的土地面積較聯合國建議的還要多。
Since the Arabs resisted to accept Israel and United Nations' suggestion on separating Palestine, people in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq joined together with Arabs to attack Israel. In February 1949, Israel defeated Arabs and obtained more lands than that suggested by the United Nations.
推行種族隔離政策 Implementation of the Apartheid (1948)
1948年，馬蘭博士率領的民族主義黨贏得南非普選，標誌著「種族隔離」政策(The policy of Apartheid)的開始，政策所指的是分隔所有種族，並讓他們得到平等的對待，但實際上，政策只為保障南非內白人的利益，黑人和有色人種獲分配最劣等的東西。
In 1948, the Nationalist Party led by Daniel Malan won the general election, marking the start of the policy of Apartheid. In theory, the policy 'apartheid' means separate but equal development for all races, but in practice, South Africa's black and coloured population were allocated with the worst of everything. The aim of the policy was to separate the whites and blacks in every aspect of life and to ensure white control in South Africa.
蘇彝士戰爭 Suez War (1956年)
以色列自建國以來，最大的敵人是埃及，他們其中一個野心是將蘇彝士運河國有化，為了先發制人，英國、法國及以色列策動秘密陰謀，由以色列負責入侵埃及，以分開以、埃兩方部隊的藉口來保護運河。其後埃及戰敗，蘇聯意識到要開始供應武器給阿拉伯國家，而美國亦意識到要以武力壯大以色列，超級強國的競賽隨即迅速擴大。
From its very beginning, Israel's most powerful enemy was Egypt, whose ambition was to nationalize the Suez Canal. Britain, France and Israel then entered into a secret plot. Israel was to invade Egypt, under the pretext of separating the two sides to protect the canal. Egypt was later defeated, the Soviet Union and the United States were then aware of the importance of supplying weapons to the Arab states. Thus superpower rivalries quickly grew in the area.
沙佩維爾大屠殺 The Sharpeville Massacre (1960)
1960年，南非沙佩維爾小鎮出現大規模的遊行，反對種族隔離政策。警方向群眾開槍，結果有60人被射殺，180人受傷。屠殺事件引致全國出現暴亂，多位異見領袖包括曼德拉被捕和監禁。
In 1960, there was a large demonstration against the apartheid policy in the African township of Sharpeville. The police fired into the crowd. In the end, 69 people were killed and 180 were wounded. The massacre led to mass riot, leaders including Mandela were arrested and held in prison.
六日戰爭 (The Six-Day War) (1967年)
1956年的蘇彝士危機過後，聯合國部隊進駐以守護以、阿邊境。1967年，以色列為維護自己的利益，決意先發制人，並在短短6日裡毀滅約旦、敘利亞和埃及的空軍勢力，更奪取了埃及的西乃、約旦的西岸和敘利亞的戈蘭高地。戰事的勝利，使以色列處於更強勢的地位，成功提昇了國家的安全。
After the Suez War in 1956, a UN force guarded the Israel-Arab border. In 1967, in order to safeguard its own interest, Israel destroyed the air forces of Jordan, Syria and Egypt in merely 6 days, and also seized Sinai from Egypt, West Bank from Jordan and Golan Heights from Syria. Israel was in a stronger position than ever before. She now became more secure.
贖罪日戰爭 Yom Kippur War (1973年)
在1973年，埃及和敘利亞於猶太的宗教節日「贖罪日」突擊以色列，以報復「六日戰爭」，當埃及和敘利亞得到由蘇聯提供武器的同時，以色列則從美國購買武器，戰事打得難分難解，最後，俄羅斯鼓勵埃及和敘利亞停戰，避免損失更為慘重，而美國恐怕得不到阿拉伯的石油供應，所以亦迫使以色列停止戰爭，聯合國負責安排停火協議。
In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Jewish religious festival of Yom Kippur, in order to seek revenge for the Six-Day War. Egypt and Syria were supplied with weapons by the Soviet Union while Israel had bought weapons from the United States. The two sides were evenly matched and fought with each other to a standstill. Eventually, Russia encouraged Syria and Egypt to end the war when the United States went on a full nuclear alert, the tightest stage of war readiness. The United States, on the other hand, were frightened at the possibility of losing oil supply and therefore, forced Israel to stop the war. The UN arranged a cease-fire.
索維托起義 Soweto Uprising (1976-77年)
1976年，數千名黑人青年在索維托發動起義，反對政府的教育政策，並抗議學校簡陋設施，以及被強迫學習波爾人的南非荷蘭語。警方最後開槍鎮壓，但直至1997年才完全平息，當時超過500 人被殺。
In 1976, thousands of black teenagers rioted in Soweto against the government's education policy. They were protesting the poor facilities in schools and their being forced to learn Afrikanns, the language of the Boers. The police opened fire on the protesters. The riot did not stop until 1977, over 500 people had been killed.
曼德拉被釋放Release of Mandela (1990)
1990年，南非總統德克勒克釋放曼德拉(Mandela)和撤銷組織「非洲國民大會」(African National Congress)的禁令，1994年，「非洲國民大會」贏得首個全南非的「一人一票」普選，曼德拉當選為總統。
In 1990, De Klerk released Mandela and cancelled the banning of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1994, the ANC won the first all-South 'one person, one vote' election, Mandela was elected President.
第一次塞克戰爭 The First Serb-Croat War (1991年)
1991年6月，克羅地亞宣布脫離南斯拉夫而獨立，但大部分塞爾維亞人都恐怕新成立的國家會消除當地塞爾維亞人的文化及生活模式。塞爾維亞人及克羅地亞人展開了漫長的衝突，直至美國干預才能平息，聯合國的和平部隊留守克羅地亞，該國的獨立地位得到國際承認，然而，騷亂仍然持續。
In June 1991, Croatia declared her independence from Federal Yugoslavia. However, most Croats feared that the new country would wipe out their culture and way of living. A prolonged conflict between Croats and Serbs followed. It did not stop until the intervention of the US. By then, the UN peacekeepers were in Croatia, and its independence was internationally recognized. Yet, troubles continued.
波斯尼亞戰爭 War in Bosnia (1992年)
1992年，波斯尼亞人民參與一項關於國家獨立的公民投票，結果，99%的選民支持波斯尼亞獨立。1992年4月，「歐洲共同體」和美國均承認波斯尼亞為獨立的國家，塞爾維亞人對此難以接受，於是向波斯尼亞發動戰爭，縱使聯合國向塞爾維亞人實施經濟制裁，但由於聯合國沒有採取任何的軍事行動，波斯尼亞最終被塞爾維亞人操控了七成的土地。戰爭歷時4年，1995年12月，塞爾維亞、波斯尼亞和克羅地亞的總統簽訂了《達頓和平協議》，協議將脆弱的波斯尼亞分為兩個獨立的自治共和國。
In 1992, Bosnians voted in a referendum for independence. Consequently, 99% of the voters supported independence. In April 1992, Bosnia was recognized as an independent country by the EC and the United States. This was unacceptable to the Serbs, Bosnia was then plunged into war. Though the United Nations imposed economic sanctions against Serbia, it did not take any military action and the Serbs took control of over 70% of Bosnia. The war lasted for four years, by December 1995, Dayton Peace Accord was signed between the presidents of Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia. The accord left a fragile Bosnia divided into two separate self-governing republics.
拉賓當選為以色列總統 Rabin became the president of Israel (1993)
1993年，拉賓(Rabin)領導的左翼政府在以色列當選，他與巴勒斯坦解放組織領袖阿拉法特達成協議，同意巴勒斯坦人擁有在加沙地帶和西岸部分的自治權，但阿拉伯人仍不滿此協議，導致巴勒斯坦的問題難以解決。拉賓更於2年後(1995年)遭一名激進的猶太學生暗殺，他指摘拉賓「欲將我們的國家(以色列)送給亞拉伯人」。
In 1993, the left-wing government headed by Rabin was elected in the Israel. He signed and agreement with Arafat, the leader of PLO, and allowed to Palestinians to have self-rule over Gaza and some parts of the West Bank. However, the Arabs were dissatisfied with this, and the problem of Palestine still remained difficult to be solved. Rabin was even killed by a radical Jewish student two years later (1995), and was accused to 'hand over our country (Israel) to the Arabs'.
第二次塞克戰爭 The Second Serb-Croat War (1995年)
1995年，克羅地亞重組軍隊和加強軍事實力，向塞爾維亞佔有的領土發動攻擊，克羅地亞軍隊最終重奪塞爾維亞人於1991年奪得的大部分土地。
By 1995, the Croatian army had been reorganized and strengthened. It launched attacks on the Serb-held territory. The Croatian army recaptured most of the territory seized by the Serbs in 1991.
|
