VOA标准英语2009年-Hardliner Netanyahu Poised to Become Israel's N

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 frustration¹ over the lack of progress toward a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
　
Benjamin Netanyahu at the Herzliya Conference in Herzliya, 04 Feb 2009

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 hawkish² 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.

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.
　
An Israeli in Ashkelon examines his car, damaged by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, 03 Feb 2009

After a 22-day assault on militants³ in Gaza, Hamas remains⁴ in charge and rockets from Gaza have continued to hit communities in southern Israel.

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.
　
A Palestinian walks through the rubble⁵ of destroyed houses in eastern Jebaliya, Gaza, 26 Jan 2009

"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.

It is the tough talk that is appealing to Israelis whose main concern in these elections is security.

His views on the status of Jerusalem - one of the key sticking points in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations⁶ - have been no less clear and uncompromising.

"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.
　
Several Israeli settlements have been built in recent years and some now surround Palestinian towns (file photo)

On the other contentious⁸ 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.

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.

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.

Netanyahu is promising⁷ 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.

1 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

2 hawkish   

adj. 鹰派的, 强硬派的

参考例句：

• My staff's advice that first day was amazingly hawkish. 在第一天，我的僚属们的意见是令人吃惊的鹰派意见。
• Antiwar groups fear Barack Obama may create hawkish Cabinet. 反战团体担心巴拉克·奥巴马可以创建强硬派内阁。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

6 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。

7 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。

8 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。