PBS高端访谈:内塔尼亚胡为最后的大选逆转做足准备

 　　GWEN IFILL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the final throes of a political fight, as he fades in the polls, ahead of tomorrow's election.

　　Late this afternoon, in an attempt to secure more right-wing votes, he announced that there will be no Palestinian state if he's reelected.

　　NewsHour special correspondent Martin Seemungal reports from Israel.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking his campaign to the Jewish settlement of Har Homa, the heart of right-wing territory. Netanyahu needs them to vote Likud, warning settlers about the dangers of a center-left government led by Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni.

　　PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israel (through interpreter): The truth is simple. If they form the next government, here on these hills, we will have a second Hamastan. But we prevented it. We develop here great neighborhoods for tens of thousands of Israelis. And we are committed to it.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGA: In an interview later in the day, Netanyahu stated plainly that if he is reelected, there would be no Palestinian state, a reversal of his support for two states for two peoples. It is a significant turnaround, a clear sign that Netanyahu knows he is fighting for his political survival.

　　Amos Harel is a columnist¹ for Israel's Haaretz newspaper.

　　AMOS HAREL, Haaretz: Netanyahu is much more active than we have been used to. For instance, he avoided any kinds of interview with Israeli media for years. In the last two weeks, he's been interviewed everywhere including local radio stations. He's calling in everybody to go and vote and he's working for his base, going back to the right-wing voters and hoping that the polls that actually show that the Zionist camp leading are going to help him, because it's sort of a panic attack or a call for arms for the Likudniks, for the old voters of Likud.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: When the election was announced back in December, few believed much would change. Everyone felt Bibi Netanyahu would be reelected. But it has changed.

　　During the last election, you could walk into a market like this in Tel Aviv and pretty much everyone would be voting for Benjamin Netanyahu. It's a Likud stronghold. People here still support Likud, but it's not the same as it was before.

　　Ruth Moses voted for Netanyahu the last election, but this time?

　　RUTH MOSES: I hope not Netanyahu. I hope not Netanyahu, because he don't do nothing for the people. He do only for himself. He like to live in luxury.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Who did you vote for the last time?

　　MAN: The right.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: So you voted for Likud last time?

　　MAN: Right.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: And this time?

　　MAN: I'm not sure.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Yachil Deloya has always voted Likud, always supported Netanyahu, and says he will again. But he's worried.

　　Are you afraid he might lose this time?

　　YACHIL DELOYA: Yes I am afraid a little bit, because it's a time that you feel like he might lose. But we hope. We hope for good news.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: The voices against Netanyahu are growing increasingly loud. Two hundred former top-ranking military and security officials made a very public statement denouncing him.

　　Former General Asher Levy² is one of them.

　　BRIG GEN. ASHER LEVY (RET.), Israel Defense³ Forces: So, we are not leftists. We think that he is damaging our security situation, and because of that, we think he should be changed. We are not telling anybody who to vote for, but we are definitely against Bibi Netanyahu. We think there should be change.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Herzog faced Netanyahu in a TV debate on Saturday. Herzog's lack of security credentials⁴ has led to a caricature here that he is weak, but he launched a very strong attack.

　　ISAAC HERZOG, Labor⁵ Party candidate for Prime Minister (through interpreter): The international community knows that you are weak and doesn't accept your position.

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: It is estimated that at least 10 percent of Israelis have yet to decide. And in a close race like this, those votes are critical. Campaigning will continue until the polls close tomorrow night.

　　For the NewsHour, I'm Martin Seemungal in Tel Aviv.

　　GWEN IFILL: I spoke⁶ with Martin a short time ago.

　　Martin, thank you so much for joining us.

　　The big news today, of course, is Bibi's statement about changing his mind or whatever on the two-state solution, saying that if he were reelected he wouldn't support it. How big a switch this for him, especially since 2009, when he gave that big speech saying he was for it?

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: It's a very big switch.

　　He gave that speech at the Bar Ilan University and everyone was touting⁷ this as a very significant moment, Likud — actually, a Likud leader and Israeli prime minister coming out and committing himself openly, especially Benjamin Netanyahu, who'd been seen as such a hard-liner, saying he believes in the two-state solution, two states for two peoples.

　　Obviously, he's — over the last six years, not moved much on that front. His critics have been saying that, even though he said that, quoting that speech, he's never really done much to deliver. Negotiations⁸ have been off and on, and mostly off. People say he's paid lip service to that statement and that — and because of that, the Palestinians have broken off negotiations.

　　They have been frozen for so long. The Americans have been trying to get Netanyahu to commit to go to the table, bring the Palestinians along as well, obviously. But the key is that this statement, it's no coincidence it's coming out on the eve of this election, because, basically, he's making a statement to the right wing that he — if there was any doubt as to where he stands, he is standing⁹ with them, and that is there will be no Palestinian state.

　　GWEN IFILL: So, how much is this, surprisingly for us who have been watching casually¹⁰, close election, how much of it is being driven by domestic concerns and how much of it by international concerns, as we have seen in past Israeli elections?

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Well, it's a bit of both in some cases, in one sense, because, basically, the way you look at it is, Netanyahu has been pushing the international threat, the fact that Iran is this existential threat to Israel, and only he can defend the country. And, of course, many people, especially in the right wing, see Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu as Mr. Security.

　　So that is the card he plays, so he plays that international card. Now, underneath¹¹ all that are Israelis who say, yes, we believe he's a strong prime minister, but on the other hand, you know, we don't really want to talk about that. The polls show that, as far as Israelis are concerned, they're not really that concerned about security.

　　And so what they're really concerned about are the domestic issues, the fact that housing prices are sky-high, the fact that the cost of living is so expensive for Israelis. That's a thing that you hear people want to talk about, but that really hasn't evolved in the election campaign in the debate.

　　And so, as a result, a lot of people are saying that Benjamin Netanyahu has made a mistake in not addressing those concerns, and that's why he's been dipping in the polls.

　　GWEN IFILL: Now, the biggest threat to him is Isaac Herzog, who has been running in kind of — in tandem¹² with Tzipi Livni, who said today that she won't be — they had worked out a deal where they would be rotating the premiership. And that will not happen now.

　　How much of this is about post-election positioning?

　　MARTIN SEEMUNGAL: Well, it's all about that, because many are saying that Isaac Herzog has been weak, he's not charismatic.

　　And so in many ways, they brought in Tzipi Livni because she has more, let's say, right-wing credentials. She's seen as a center — center-right almost. The fact that she's now withdrawing at this point, some people are saying, it's a bit late to be doing that, it could harm them. But obviously they're calculating that they want to see — they want to sell themselves as one party.

　　GWEN IFILL: It's going to be a fascinating outcome to watch.

　　Martin Seemungal for us in Tel Aviv tonight, thank you.

1 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

2 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 touting   

v.兜售( tout的现在分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• He's been touting his novel around publishers for years. 他几年来一直到处找出版商兜售自己的小说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Technology industry leaders are touting cars as a hot area for growth. 科技产业领袖吹捧为增长热点地区的汽车。 来自互联网

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

11 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

12 tandem   

n.同时发生；配合；adv.一个跟着一个地；纵排地；adj.（两匹马）前后纵列的

参考例句：

• Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.马尔科姆的合同将与他手头的合同同时生效。
• He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.他正配合欺诈重案办公室的官员工作。