Public opinion polls before Israel's national elections next Tuesday have consistently shown former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the lead. Netanyahu represents the right-wing Likud Party, which has been gaining support as many Israelis express frustration over the lack of progress toward a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
在以色列下周二举行全国选举之前，民意调查显示，前总理内塔尼亚胡的支持率一直处于领先位置。内塔尼亚胡代表右翼的利库德集团。由于许多以色列人对政府迟迟无法同巴勒斯坦达成和平协议感到不满，利库德集团获得了民众的支持。
Benjamin Netanyahu, at the age of 46, became Israel's youngest prime minister in 1996, and the first to be born after the creation of the state of Israel. His hawkish views resonated with many Israelis who were eager for a tough-talking leader, following a string of suicide bombings and other violence by Arabs against Jews. He was voted out of office in 1999.
本雅明·内塔尼亚胡曾在1996年成为以色列最年轻的总理，也是第一位在以色列建国后出生的总理，当年他46岁。他的鹰派观点曾在许多以色列人心中引发共鸣。当时，在阿拉伯人针对犹太人发动一系列爆炸和暴力袭击后，这些以色列人期待出现一位言论强硬的领袖。内塔尼亚胡在1999年竞选失败后下台。
Now, Netanyahu, a one-time furniture salesman known to Israelis by his nickname of Bibi, is riding on a new wave of support as many Israelis express frustration over the outgoing government's lack of progress in peace talks with the Palestinians, the continuing threat of Iran's nuclear ambitions, and with the outcome of Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
曾经当过家具推销员的内塔尼亚胡被以色列人昵称为“比比”。现在，许多以色列人对即将卸任的这届政府在以巴和谈上缺乏进展而感到失望。同时，伊朗的核野心继续威胁着以色列的安全。
After a 22-day assault on militants in Gaza, Hamas remains in charge and rockets from Gaza have continued to hit communities in southern Israel.
而以色列对加沙地带激进组织哈马斯22天的进攻又没能推翻哈马斯，来自加沙的火箭弹继续袭击以色列南部。
Netanyahu visited the southern city of Ashkelon immediately after a rocket launched from Gaza hit there on February 3 - one week before election day. He said he would take a tougher stand against Hamas than the ruling centrist Kadima party has done.
加沙的一枚火箭弹在二月三号，也就是距离以色列大选还有一周的时候，击中了以色列南部城市阿什克伦。内塔尼亚胡在袭击发生后立即赶到了阿什克伦。他说，他将对哈马斯采取比目前的中间派前进党政府更为强硬的立场。
"The army did a great job, but the Kadima government stopped short of achieving the goal. There is only one thing that will remove the missile threat from Ashkelon and the other cities and towns of Israel, and that is to bring down the Hamas government and we will bring down the Hamas government," he said.
他说：“以色列军队表现出色，但是前进党政府没能实现目标。只有一个办法可以消除对阿什克伦和以色列其它城市和乡镇的威胁，那就是推翻哈马斯政府，而我们正是要这么做。”
It is the tough talk that is appealing to Israelis whose main concern in these elections is security.
这种强硬的表态吸引了那些在选举中主要关注安全问题的以色列选民。
His views on the status of Jerusalem - one of the key sticking points in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations - have been no less clear and uncompromising.
导致巴以和谈无法取得进展的一个关键障碍是耶路撒冷地位问题。内塔尼亚胡在这个问题上也毫不含糊。
"For 3,000 years this place has been the capital of the Jewish people. For 2,000 years we have been struggling and praying to get back here and re-establish our sovereignty. We did not unite Jerusalem to leave it. We did not unite it to re-divide it. And the government of Likud will keep Jerusalem united under Israeli sovereignty," Netanyahu said.
他说：“三千年以来，耶路撒冷一直是犹太人的首都。两千年来，我们一直在斗争和祈祷，希望能回到耶路撒冷，并重新建立我们的主权。我们统一耶路撒冷的目的不是为了放弃它，或者再次分裂它。利库德集团领导的政府将使耶路撒冷在以色列的主权下继续统一。”
On the other contentious issue of Jewish settlements in disputed lands, Netanyahu has said Israel would not build new outposts, but said existing ones should be allowed to expand. He has pledged not to expel any settlers.
在另一个引发争论的问题，即犹太人在有争议土地上建立定居点问题上，内塔尼亚胡说，以色列将不会建立新的定居点，但是现存的定居点应当被允许扩大。他还保证，不会驱赶定居点里的任何以色列居民。
Netanyahu's record of delivering on his right-wing promises has not been perfect. He lost his 1999 re-election bid after angering his hardline supporters by agreeing to withdraw in stages from 13 percent of Israeli-occupied lands. His supporters at the time accused him of giving in for the sake of political ambition, although his administration never fulfilled the agreement.
内塔尼亚胡过去并没有完全兑现他的右翼竞选承诺。他1999年寻求连任失败就是因为他同意分阶段从百分之13的以色列占领领土上撤退，这激怒了强硬派的支持者。当时，他的支持者指责他为了政治野心而屈服，虽然他的政府其实并没有真的实施这一撤退协议。
If Netanyahu is elected, his ability to take pragmatic steps while retaining his right-wing following will be tested once again when it comes time to restart negotiations with the Palestinians.
如果内塔尼亚胡当选，那么当他重新开始同巴勒斯坦人的谈判时，他从实际出发采取行动，而同时保持右翼选民支持的能力就将再次受到考验。
Netanyahu is promising to pursue the peace process and at the same time be tougher than Kadima has been in negotiations with the Palestinians. This strategy is likely to win the vote of those in Israel who are seeking change.
内塔尼亚胡保证会继续奉行和平进程，同时也要在以巴谈判中采取比前进党政府更强硬的立场。这一战略可能会获得那些希望改变现状的以色列选民的支持。 |