The release of prisoners touches Palestinians to their core 俘虏的释放触及了巴勒斯坦人的核心

　　AS A measure of the seriousness of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, the number of Palestinian prisoners released on the eve of talks, say pessimists, is a gloomy barometer.  悲观主义者声称，以会谈前夕释放的巴勒斯坦俘虏数目作为对巴以协商认真程度的衡量，前景令人悲观。

　　When the two sides sat down to negotiate two decades ago, after signing the Oslo accords in 1993, Israel freed 2,000 Palestinians in a single year.  双方在20年前的1993年坐下协商签署奥斯陆协议之后，以色列一年就使2000名巴勒斯坦人重获自由。

　　For the next couple of years it released, on average, around 1,000 a year.  在以后数年，以色列平均每年释放大约1000人，

　　In later years that number slumped to a few hundred.  再往后该数目猛然下降至几百人。

　　Now, to coincide with the fresh round of talks that started in Jerusalem on August 14th, Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has freed just 26. 目前，为了配合8月14日于耶路撒冷开启的新一轮协商，以色列总理本杰明?内塔尼亚胡仅释放了26人。

　　Even this has provoked an outcry in Israel.  即便如此，还是在以色列国内引起了强烈抗议。

　　Many of the 26 were convicted of crimes of violence, including murder, against Israeli civilians.  26人中有不少被指控包括谋杀在内的抗击以色列平民的暴力罪行。

　　Relations of the victims have carried black banners, accusing Mr Netanyahu of truckling to terrorists. 受害者的亲属使用黑色条幅谴责内塔尼亚胡屈从于恐怖主义分子。

　　Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president who is leading negotiations for his side, has had an even rougher time trying to persuade his people that the Israelis earnestly seek a peace deal.  带领巴方协商的总统马哈茂德?阿巴斯，甚至需要更多的时间去尝试说服人民相信以色列诚恳寻求和平协商。

　　Since July 19th, when America's secretary of state, John Kerry, announced that peace talks would restart,Israel—say human-rights campaigners—has detained eight times as many Palestinians as it has just released. 自从7月19日美国国务卿约翰?凯利宣布将重启和平谈判以来，人权运动领导人表示以色列扣留了8倍于刚释放的巴勒斯坦人的数目。

　　Indeed, many Palestinians deride Mr Abbas for winning freedom for so tiny a share of the 5,071 Palestinians said to be behind bars for politically motivated acts of violence or subversion.  确实，许多巴勒斯坦人取笑阿巴斯仅为由于暴力或颠覆性政治运动而身陷囹圄的5071名巴勒斯坦人中的极小部分赢得自由。

　　All but one of the first 26 to be let out were convicted in or before 1994.  第一批即将释放的26人中除了一人之外均是于1994年或者之前被囚禁。

　　If the talks last long enough, a further 78 Palestinians are due to be freed in batches in the coming months. 如果此次协商持续时间足够长，在未来数月时间内，另有78名巴勒斯坦人应该会分批重获自由。

　　Mr Abbas's Palestinian critics say his non-violent policy is plainly less effective than that of Hamas, the Islamist faction that runs the Gaza Strip.  阿巴斯的巴方批评者声称，阿巴斯的非暴力政策没有操控加沙地带的伊斯兰组织哈马斯的政策有效。

　　In 2011 Hamas got Mr Netanyahu to release more than 1,000 prisoners in exchange for a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who had been captured by Hamas and held for five years. 2011年哈马斯迫使内塔尼亚胡释放了1000多名俘虏用来交换一名被其俘获并拘留了5年的以色列士兵Gilad Shalit。

　　Few issues stir Palestinian emotions as fiercely as the fate of prisoners.  很少有其他问题能够像俘虏命运这样激发巴勒斯坦人的情绪。

　　Almost every Palestinian has a relative in jail—or has been there himself.  几乎每一名巴勒斯坦人都有一名亲人、或者自己身陷囹圄。

　　Human-rights groups estimate that 750,000 Palestinians have passed through Israeli prisons since the West Bank and Gaza were conquered in 1967.  人权组织估计自从1967年西岸及加沙被攻克以来，75万巴勒斯坦人遭受了以色列的牢狱之苦。

　　Some 2,300 Palestinians were detained in the first six months of this year alone.  仅在今年前六个月就有2300名巴勒斯坦人被拘留。

　　Whereas Israelis generally dub them terrorists, Palestinians call them asra, or prisoners of war, and devote large chunks of their public broadcasts and budget to supporting them and their families.  尽管以色列将其统称为恐怖主义分子，巴勒斯坦人称其为asra或者战俘并通过广播与预算对他们及其家人加以支持。

　　Some have been sentenced for complicity in the 100-plus suicide-bombings which shook Israel during the intifada (uprising) that fizzled out in 2005.  因在2005年以失败告终的暴乱中合谋震惊以色列的100多起自杀炸弹袭击，一些人被判决。

　　But many of those that languish in 17 special Israeli jails have no such blood on their hands. 但是，他们中许多人并未参与该流血事件却在17座以色列监狱中饱受折磨。

　　They include 14 members of the Palestinian parliament and hundreds of non-violent protesters who have tried in vain to stop Israel's army and settlers from acquiring their land.  俘虏中包括14名巴勒斯坦议会成员以及数百名阻止以军占领其土地无果的非暴力反抗者。

　　The military laws that Israel applies in the occupied territories make anyone taking part in anti-Israeli demonstrations liable to be arrested.  以色列在占领国土上应用的军法使得任何参加反以示威游行人员可能被逮捕。

　　Under Military Order 1651, throwing stones at people or property can carry a ten-year jail sentence.  根据军规1651条，向人或资产投掷石头可以被判十年监禁。

　　Of those Palestinians in prison, 193 are minors, nearly all brought to court in leg shackles and handcuffs. 对于身陷囹圄的巴勒斯坦人，193相对较少，几乎全都背负手铐脚镣被带到法庭。

　　But Palestinians know their governments often treat political opponents little better.  但是巴勒斯坦人知道其政府基本不会对对手更好。

　　Since the Palestinian territories were split in June 2007 between Hamas-ruled Gaza and Mr Abbas's West Bank, both sides have habitually rounded up each other's activists.  自从2007年6月巴方领土分裂为哈马斯统治的加沙以及阿巴斯的西岸，双方都围捕对方的积极分子。

　　Scores languish in Palestinian jails; some have been tortured. 很多人在巴勒斯坦监狱饱受折磨，甚至有人被施以酷刑。

　　Hamas's government has executed at least 16 for crimes including collaboration with Israel, and says it will hang two more publicly within days as “a lesson.  哈马斯政府已经至少处死了犯下与以色列勾结罪行的16人，并声称将在数天内公开绞死至少2人以儆效尤。

　　Under Israeli law people can be executed only for treason, genocide and “crimes against the Jewish people.  在以色列法律中，仅有叛国、种族灭绝、反对犹太人罪行才被处以死刑。

　　No one has been sentenced to death in an Israeli court since the execution in 1962 of Adolf Eichmann, an organiser of the Holocaust. 自从1962年对犹太人大屠杀组织者Adolf Eichmann的处死之后，没有人在以色列法庭被判死刑。

　　Conviction rates for Palestinians in Israel's military courts, where most politically motivated cases are heard, exceed 99%.  巴勒斯坦人在以军法庭的定罪率超过99%，其中大多数是政治案件。

　　So many are processed every day that there is scant time to delve into detail, let alone study cases in advance.  每天处理的案件过多以至于缺乏时间加以深究，更不必说提前研究案情。

　　Military judges, working in makeshift courts, rely on the testimony of soldiers to secure convictions, but when they fail to turn up, the detainees are often sent back to prison. 在临时法庭中工作的军事法官依据士兵的证词加以定罪，但是当士兵无法出庭时，被拘留者就被重新送回狱中。

　　What Palestinians want as a sign of good intent, is the release of thousands, not scores, of their compatriots.  作为一个好意的信号，巴方要求释放数千而不是几十人的同胞。

　　The Israelis hint that they will see how the talks proceed—and let more prisoners trickle out if things go well. 以方暗示他们将看会谈的进行情况—如果进展顺利将释放更多俘虏。译者： 吕晓鹏