美国国家公共电台 NPR--Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is gunning for a comeback in the country's next election

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is gunning for a comeback in the country's next election

Transcript¹

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be on the verge² of a historic comeback. He's doubling down on his hard-right positions and a win could help him stave off a corruption³ trial.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The leader of Israel's right wing is trying to stage a comeback. Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted⁴ last year, and he's on trial for corruption, but he's a frontrunner in Tuesday's elections. He's promising⁵ to form a government with politicians on the far right. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports on what Netanyahu hopes to achieve.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Hebrew).

DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE⁶: His supporters chant, Bibi, king of Israel.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: (Speaking Hebrew).

(CHEERING)

ESTRIN: Bibi - Benjamin Netanyahu - is crisscrossing the country holding campaign rallies, sometimes three a night. He's 73 years old and with boundless⁷ energy. Here, he greets a crowd in Ofakim, a blue-collar town in Israel's south.

NETANYAHU: (Speaking Hebrew).

ESTRIN: He says, do you want to bring back your personal security? Do you want to bring down the cost of living? Do you want to bring back our national pride in a Jewish country? Those are the themes that resonate with his supporters - the rising cost of living, but also nationalism and security - the classic Israeli issue of Arabs versus⁸ Jews and who has the upper hand. Voter Ortal Shlomo says without Netanyahu in office this past year, she hasn't slept well at night.

ORTAL SHLOMO: (Speaking Hebrew).

ESTRIN: She says those who came to power ruined the country. They gave the Arabs power and strengthened them. An Arab political party was part of the governing coalition⁹ this year, a first in Israel's history. Netanyahu offers a different vision for Israel. If he's reelected, he says he'll give a cabinet minister seat to far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose campaign is to exile Arabs he deems hostile. Ben-Gvir is shunned¹⁰ by the pro-Israel group AIPAC, but Netanyahu's party claims he's more moderate than the past.

SHLOMO: (Speaking Hebrew).

ESTRIN: Shlomo says, "We need someone like Ben-Gvir in the government. We need his power of deterrence¹¹. He is moderated from his extremism. We need him just as he is. He will cause them to go back into the holes where they came from - the Arabs." Another major issue Netanyahu's allies are pushing is to strip the justice system of some of its powers. Netanyahu is on trial for corruption, and his supporters think it's a plot by left-wing justice officials. Voter Gila Dree.

GILA DREE: (Speaking Hebrew).

ESTRIN: "I think it's a trial to topple a government. It cannot be the judges get to decide for the country," she tells me. Hebrew University politics professor Reuven Hazan says Netanyahu wants to return to office to exert the right pressure needed to try to shake off his trial.

REUVEN HAZAN: He truly believes that while in power, he can do the best in order to avoid his trial ending up in a guilty verdict. For that reason, I think he is dangerous to Israeli democracy.

ESTRIN: In this tight race, polls suggest Netanyahu's bloc¹² could get just enough votes for him to build a coalition with the religious far right.

CHAZAN: He will be at the whim¹³ of the most extremist elements in his governing coalition. And those extremist elements, to put it bluntly, are non-democratic elements.

ESTRIN: Another option - Netanyahu could ditch the far right and convince some of his political opponents to partner with him instead. What doesn't seem likely is an outright¹⁴ win for the anti-Netanyahu bloc of parties. There could be a stalemate, and if Netanyahu doesn't win, some in his party could defect, making it hard for him to return to office again.

NETANYAHU: (Speaking Hebrew).

ESTRIN: Back at the rally, Benjamin Netanyahu tells his supporters, "we are so close to victory." The message is optimistic, but this may be his last chance at a comeback. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Ofakim in Southern Israel.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

8 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

12 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

13 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

14 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。