Palestinian activist Dr. Moustafa Barghouti, a vocal proponent of the agreement, took part in the demonstrations at Qalandia.

Could you explain “vocal proponent”?

My comments:

He who is a proponent is a supporter, in contrast to an opponent who is against the said agreement, or a certain movement or ideology.

A vocal proponent is a supporter who is, of course, vocal about his support. In other words, he doesn’t hide his support but on the other hand let it be known to one and all.

Vocal, as in vocal chords, has to do with voice. Hence you may infer that this particular activist, Moustafa Barghouti, actually took part in demonstrations at Aalandia, perhaps shouting his support for the said agreement out loud.

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Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（张欣） has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.