4月24日，以色列前总统埃泽尔·魏茨曼因病去世，享年80岁。据悉，魏茨曼1993年当选为以色列第7任总统，1998年取得连任，由于被控接受一法国犹太富翁45万美元的捐款，2000年被迫辞职。他支持中东和平进程，是以色列极具威望的政治家。外电报道如下：Former Israeli President Ezer Weizman, a flying ace and crack military commander who built up the nation's air force and helped bring about the Jewish state's first peace treaty with an Arab country, has died, Israeli officials said Sunday. He was 80.

Weizman was president between 1993-2000. In three decades in political life, he made a highly public transition from hawk to dove, saying the Jews had to learn to "share this part of the world" with the Arabs.

The Maariv daily newspaper said Weizman died Sunday evening with his family at his bedside.

As defense minister in 1979, he was instrumental in negotiating Israel's peace treaty with Egypt.

Flying ace表示“王牌飞行员”，从第一次世界大战起，美、法均将击落敌机五架以上的飞行员授予“王牌”称号，德国为10架。Ace的本意为“纸牌的A或骰子的幺点”，故产生了“一流的；高手、佼佼者”等含义，后来被应用于军事中，表示王牌飞行员。例如：aerobatic ace（特技飞行能手）；double ace（击落敌机10架以上的双料王牌飞行员）；an ace at cards（玩纸牌的高手）；football ace（足球健将）。此外，ace在体育运动中表示“发球得分；一杆进洞（高尔夫）”。

（中国日报网站编）