Benjamin Netanyahu rebukes Barack Obama over 1967 plan

News story	Words	Meanings
Mr Netanyahu told Mr Obama that to suggest a return to Israel's pre-1967 borders did not "take into account certain changes that have taken place" in the intervening 44 years. During the frosty public show, the Israeli premier told Mr Obama that any peace deal "based on illusion will crash on the rocks of Middle East reality". Israel, he insisted, "can't go back to the 1967 lines". Although Mr Obama also spoke of land swaps that would allow Israel to annex some Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Mr Netanyahu said the proposal would leave Israel "indefensible". American officials were dismayed that a speech they intended to be remembered for its high-minded embrace of human rights in the Middle East had immediately been embroiled in controversy as a result of Mr Netanyahu's incandescent reaction. (The Telegraph, 20 May 2011)	take into account	consider; bear in mind
	intervening	existing between
	frosty	unfriendly
	illusion	a false idea or belief; delusion
	swaps	exchanges
	annex	take control of; seize
	settlements	areas where groups of families live together
	indefensible	defenseless; impossible to defend from military attack
	dismayed	disappointed; disheartened
	high-minded	strong moral principles; noble
	embroiled in	mixed up with
	incandescent	extremely angry

Model sentences and idiomatic expressions with “illusion”:

• She's under the illusion that (= believes wrongly that) she'll get the job.

• I have no illusions about her feelings for me (= I know the truth is that she does not love me).

• He could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.

• I don't want to have my illusions shattered!

• They suffer from the illusion that they cannot solve their problems.

• She was under no illusion that he loved her.

• It is an illusion that the Arctic is dark in winter.

• I'm under no illusions (= I understand the truth) about the man I married.

 

 

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the following words:

1. takes account of 2. swap 3. illusions 4. frosty 5. have a stake

1. The company . . . . . . environmental issues wherever possible.

2. The latest proposals were given a . . . . . . reception.

3. The new president has no . . . . . . about the difficulties facing her country.

4. Let's do a . . . . . . . You work Friday night and I'll do Saturday.

5. Germany . . . . . . Austria in 1938.

Answer key: 1. takes account of 2. frosty 3. illusions 4. swap 5. annexed