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Kofi Annan - Israel attack kills 4 UN officials

Date: July 27, 2006
Level: Easier (Try the harder lesson.)
Downloads: Word Doc | PDF Doc | Listening
Audio: (1:56 - 226.8 KB - 16kbps)

 
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THE ARTICLE

Israeli war planes have killed four United Nations officials in southern Lebanon. Those who died in the aerial bombing were from Canada, Austria, China and Finland. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had very strong words for Israel. He accused Israel’s air force of bombing the UN military position on purpose. In an unusually tough statement, he said: "I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces." He reminded Israel that the UN building was “long established and clearly marked”. Annan also said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had promised him that UN positions would not be hit by Israel." Chinese officials also replied quickly and asked Israel for an immediate explanation.

The Secretary General’s words have deeply angered Israeli officials. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman was furious. He called Annan’s comments “premature” and said they were wrong. He said he was sorry about the tragedy and sent condolences to the families of those who were killed. However, he said he was “shocked” by Annan’s statement, which he said was “hasty”. Gillerman said the UN leader “went far too far for a seasoned and experienced diplomat [and] that his statement was irresponsible [and] unfortunate”. He accused Annan of “jumping to conclusions” and asked him to take back his statement. The ambassador said Annan’s statement was one of many UN accusations against Israel “which have eventually proved to be totally untrue.”

WARM-UPS

1. ON THE GROUND: With your partner(s), role play a conversation between people on the ground in Israel and/or Lebanon. Take turns at being two Lebanese, two Israelis, a Lebanese and Israeli, etc. After the role play(s), find a new partner and describe what you talked about.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

War planes / Lebanon / bombing / strong words / shock / promises / quick replies / anger / ambassadors / being sorry / tragedies / sending condolences / jumping

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. UNITED NATIONS: Ask your partner(s) what they know about these UN organizations. Share your findings with new partners. (You may need to use the Internet.)

  • UNIFIL - UN's Interim Force in Lebanon
  • UNICEF
  • WFP
  • UNU
  • WTO
  • UNESCO
  • FAO
  • UNHCR
  • UNAIDS
  • WIPO

4. QUICK DEBATE: Students A believe a UN Secretary General should say what he/she believes. Students B believe the UN Secretary General should be diplomatic at all times. Debate this with your partners. Change partners often.

5. OPINIONS: With your partner(s), talk about the following opinions on Kofi Annan’s comments. Change partners and share your findings.

  1. A diplomat should say what he feels – Kofi should be congratulated.
  2. Kofi Annan’s spoke too quickly, before finding the truth.
  3. There must be truth in his words – he is usually so careful in what he says.
  4. Kofi Annan is just another person who is against Israel.
  5. Annan went far too far for an experienced diplomat.
  6. Kofi Annan should stick to refugees and famines and stay out of wars.
  7. Annan’s words will only make the situation in Lebanon worse.
  8. Kofi is fed up with his workers being killed in conflicts.

6. KOFI ANNAN: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.


 
 

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.

Israeli tanks attacked a UN post, killing four UN officials inside.

T / F

b.

Kofi Annan said the attack on UN officials was not accidental.

T / F

c.

The bombed UN post has been there for just a few weeks.

T / F

d.

The Israeli Prime minister had promised not to hit UN posts.

T / F

e.

Kofi Annan has angered Israel’s ambassador to the UN.

T / F

f.

The ambassador said Annan spoke too soon about the attack.

T / F

g.

The ambassador agreed Annan wasn’t jumping to conclusions.

T / F

h.

The ambassador said it was a first for the UN to falsely accuse Israel.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.

accused

assured

b.

position

claims

c.

distressed

instant

d.

promised

greatly

e.

immediate

post

f.

deeply

experienced

g.

furious

sympathy

h.

condolences

blamed

i.

seasoned

angry

j.

accusations

upset

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.

Those who

established and clearly marked

b.

Kofi Annan had very strong

explanation

c.

bombing the UN military position on

and experienced diplomat

d.

the UN building was long

words for Israel

e.

…asked Israel for an immediate

conclusions

f.

sent

UN accusations against Israel

g.

went far

died in the aerial bombing

h.

a seasoned

condolences to the families

i.

jumping to

purpose

j.

one of many

too far

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Kofi Annan - Israel attack kills 4 UN officials

Israeli _______ planes have killed four United Nations officials in southern Lebanon. Those who died in the _______ bombing were from Canada, Austria, China and Finland. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had very strong _______ for Israel. He accused Israel’s air force of bombing the UN military position on _______. In an unusually tough statement, he said: "I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently _______ targeting by Israeli Defence Forces." He _______ Israel that the UN building was “long established and _______ marked”. Annan also said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had promised him that UN positions would not be hit by Israel." Chinese officials also replied quickly and asked Israel for an immediate _______.

 

 

clearly
deliberate
words
explanation
war
reminded
aerial
purpose

The Secretary General’s words have _______ angered Israeli officials. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman was furious. He _______ Annan’s comments “premature” and said they were wrong. He said he was sorry about the _______ and sent condolences to the families of those who were killed. However, he said he was “_______” by Annan’s statement, which he said was “hasty”. Gillerman said the UN leader “went far too _______ for a seasoned and experienced diplomat [and] that his statement was irresponsible [and] unfortunate”. He accused Annan of “_______ to conclusions” and asked him to take back his statement. The ambassador said Annan’s statement was one of _______ UN accusations against Israel “which have eventually proved to be totally _______.”

 

jumping
tragedy
untrue
called
far
deeply
many
shocked

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Kofi Annan - Israel attack kills 4 UN officials

Israeli war planes have killed four United Nations __________ in southern Lebanon. Those who died in the __________ bombing were from Canada, Austria, China and Finland. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had very strong words for Israel. He accused Israel’s air force of bombing the UN military position __________. In an unusually tough statement, he said: "I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently __________ targeting by Israeli Defence Forces." He reminded Israel that the UN building was “long established and clearly marked”. Annan also said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had __________ him that UN positions would not be hit by Israel." Chinese officials also __________ quickly and asked Israel for an immediate explanation.

The Secretary General’s words have __________ angered Israeli officials. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman was furious. He called Annan’s comments “__________” and said they were wrong. He said he was sorry about the tragedy and sent __________ to the families of those who were killed. However, he said he was “shocked” by Annan’s statement, which he said was “__________”. Gillerman said the UN leader “went __________  for a seasoned and experienced diplomat [and] that his statement was irresponsible [and] unfortunate”. He accused Annan of “jumping to conclusions” and asked him to __________ his statement. The ambassador said Annan’s statement was one of many UN accusations against Israel “which have eventually proved to be totally __________.”  


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘aerial’ and ‘bombing’.

  • Share your findings with your partners.
  • Make questions using the words you found.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

  • Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “KOFI ANNAN” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about Kofi Annan and the role of the UN in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

  • Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
  • Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

  • planes
  • aerial
  • accused
  • long
  • promised
  • immediate
  • deeply
  • premature
  • sent
  • hasty
  • jumping
  • proved

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

  1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
  2. What do you think of Kofi Annan?
  3. Do you think he was wrong to say what he did?
  4. If he is correct, should the Israeli government apologize to him?
  5. If his comments were “premature” and wrong, should he apologize to Israel?
  6. What should Israel do if the deaths of the four UN observers were on purpose?
  7. Do you think the Israeli military made a genuine mistake in bombing the UN post?
  8. Do you think the deaths will make Israel change its tactics in any way?
  9. Do you think Israel can destroy Hezbollah?
  10. Have you ever made a hasty comment that you later wanted to take back?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

  1. Did you like reading this article?
  2. What do you think about what you read?
  3. Do you think it is the UN Secretary General’s job to make comments about one side’s actions in a war?
  4. Do you think the UN has made false accusations against Israel before?
  5. Would you become a UN official in a war zone – for good money?
  6. Do you think the four deaths will be quickly forgotten?
  7. What do you think Israel’s Prime Minister will or should say to Kofi Annan after promising that UN posts would not be hit?
  8. Do you think world opinion towards Israel and Hezbollah is changing because of the current conflict?
  9. How quick are you at jumping to conclusions?
  10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

  1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
  2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
  3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
  4. What did you like talking about?
  5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

ROLE PLAY: Should anyone be punished for the deaths of the four UN officials?
Team up with classmates who have been assigned the same role to develop your roles and discuss ideas and “strategies” before the role play begins. Introduce yourself to the other role players.

Role A – Israeli Citizen

You live in fear in Haifa. Hezbollah bombs your neighborhood every day and kill innocent people. Suicide bombers regularly bring attack your city. The Israeli military made a mistake. Lots of innocent people are killed in war zones. The most important thing is to move on and destroy Hezbollah so the whole region will be safer.

Role B – Lebanese Citizen

You are fed up with Israel bombing your country. It has done this many times before. Thousands of innocent Lebanese die. This time UN officials are dead. Israel doesn’t care about non-Israeli life. You think America should come and protect Lebanon from further destruction. The world should try the Israeli military as war criminals.

Role C – Kofi Annan

You totally believe your comments are true. It is time for everyone to stop killing your people. They do a very valuable job and should be protected. You want to stop both Israel and Hezbollah to stop their non-stop killing of innocent lives. You want Israel to apologize for the deaths of your workers and admit responsibility.

Role D – UN military observer

You are amazed that Israel’s sophisticated intelligence can make such a mistake and bomb a UN post. Such mistakes should never happen today. You think an international tribunal should be set up to find out what went wrong. You want thousands of UN peacekeepers to keep Israel and Hezbollah apart.

After the role play, discuss whether you really believed what you were saying in your role.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find information on the background to the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. POSTER: Make a poster that includes information about the life and times of Kofi Annan. Include a summary about what kind of UN leader he is. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson.

4. LETTER: Write a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Tell him what you think of his statement. Give him advice on what he should do from now. Ask him three questions. Read your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions. Which letter did you like best and why?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. T

e. T

f. T

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.

accused

blamed

b.

position

post

c.

distressed

upset

d.

promised

assured

e.

immediate

instant

f.

deeply

greatly

g.

furious

angry

h.

condolences

sympathy

i.

seasoned

experienced

j.

accusations

claims

PHRASE MATCH:

a.

Those who

died in the aerial bombing

b.

Kofi Annan had very strong

words for Israel

c.

bombing the UN military position on

purpose

d.

the UN building was long

established and clearly marked

e.

…asked Israel for an immediate

explanation

f.

sent

condolences to the families

g.

went far

too far

h.

a seasoned

and experienced diplomat

i.

jumping to

conclusions

j.

one of many

UN accusations against Israel

GAP FILL:

Kofi Annan - Israel attack kills 4 UN officials

Israeli war planes have killed four United Nations officials in southern Lebanon. Those who died in the aerial bombing were from Canada, Austria, China and Finland. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had very strong words for Israel. He accused Israel’s air force of bombing the UN military position on purpose. In an unusually tough statement, he said: "I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces." He reminded Israel that the UN building was “long established and clearly marked”. Annan also said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had promised him that UN positions would not be hit by Israel." Chinese officials also replied quickly and asked Israel for an immediate explanation.

The Secretary General’s words have deeply angered Israeli officials. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman was furious. He called Annan’s comments “premature” and said they were wrong. He said he was sorry about the tragedy and sent condolences to the families of those who were killed. However, he said he was “shocked” by Annan’s statement, which he said was “hasty”. Gillerman said the UN leader “went far too far for a seasoned and experienced diplomat [and] that his statement was irresponsible [and] unfortunate”. He accused Annan of “jumping to conclusions” and asked him to take back his statement. The ambassador said Annan’s statement was one of many UN accusations against Israel “which have eventually proved to be totally untrue.”

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