But if we have learned anything at all from the tragic assassinations of the region’s greatest peacemakers, Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin, it is that the guns do not remain silent for long. During any lull, a fanatic from either side could jump to center stage and, through an act of utter madness, kick up the settling dust and dash the hopes of the many on both sides who still long for a lasting peace.
但如果中东地区最伟大的和平使者安瓦尔·萨达特和伊扎克·拉宾被刺的悲剧曾经留给过我们什么教训，那就是战火熄灭的时间不会太长。在短暂的宁静时刻，来自任何一方的狂热分子随时有可能跳到前台，用绝对的疯狂行为重新点燃战争的怒火，毁灭双方爱好和平的人们对永久和平的期望。