美国国家公共电台 NPR--Israel's prime minister announces he's stepping down, sparking new elections

Israel's prime minister announces he's stepping down, sparking new elections

Transcript¹

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett lost his parliamentary majority, setting the stage for Israel's fifth election in just over three years. Elections are likely to take place in October.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Israel is calling new elections. And if you're thinking, wait - didn't that just happen? - that's because it did. And now for the fifth time in just over three years, Israelis will head back to the polls. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is stepping down, putting an end to Israel's most ideologically² diverse coalition³ government ever. These elections could also see the return of one of former President Donald Trump's closest allies, Benjamin Netanyahu. NPR's Daniel Estrin is in Tel Aviv. Good morning.

DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE⁴: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So, Daniel, this coalition - it had been teetering for a while. What's led to its collapse⁵?

ESTRIN: You know, its days were numbered from day one. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's own party members, right-wing Jewish nationalists, did not like the diverse governing coalition that he put together. They did not like partnering with an Arab party. And it was the first time in history that an Arab party helped form a coalition in Israel. They didn't like partnering with left-wing and centrist parties, which were trying to challenge the role of Orthodox Judaism in public life. And so Bennett's allies were withdrawing their support for the coalition one after the other. It reached the point where the government didn't even have enough votes to renew legal rights for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. That would have caused major controversy⁶. And so Bennett saw the writing on the wall. His government was collapsing⁷. And so he's handing over power to centrist Yair Lapid. And elections will be held in a few months.

FADEL: Now, I imagine there's some voter fatigue⁸ with people going to the polls. We said five times just over three years. How are Israelis reacting to the collapse of this government?

ESTRIN: Well, think about it from the perspective of Israelis who really wanted this government to last more than just one year.

FADEL: Yeah.

ESTRIN: I met some drinking their morning coffee today. One man, Michael Raphael, told me he was part of these massive street protests against then-Prime Minister Netanyahu. Centrists, leftists - they were going to the streets. They wanted the right-wing leader out of power after more than a decade. And they finally got what they wanted. Here is what he said.

MICHAEL RAPHAEL: There was a momentum⁹. And it seemed like things are changing. And it seems that people wanted change. And now it feels like it all petered out. And where did that all go? Where did all that energy go? I think it's just people are just exhausted¹⁰ after four years of this elections and changes and things and back and forth¹¹ and a war.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: And corona¹².

RAPHAEL: And corona. And I think just people just feel like they just want to run away.

ESTRIN: Now, at that cafe, a guy sitting next to him, Amir Aghbaria, is part of the 20% of Israel's citizens who are Arab. And he said, you know what? Discrimination, violence against Arabs continued this last year. He sees no difference who leads the government, Bibi Netanyahu or Naftali Bennett.

AMIR AGHBARIA: Bibi or Bennett, it's same for Arabic people. It's only talk. Nothing change. All the time, people die. All the time, kill people. Wherever you go in Israel, no security for Arabic because you are Arabic. That's it.

ESTRIN: Now, the right wing in Israel, Leila, is happy for another chance to form a right-wing nationalist government. And Netanyahu will try.

FADEL: Now, if Benjamin Netanyahu runs for office again, is he still popular among voters? How is he viewed?

ESTRIN: Well, you know, this is a polarized country. And once again, the elections will be about him. It's unclear if he can break a stalemate, the one that he faced in the last four elections. A recent poll has his party coming in first, but he's still on corruption¹³ trial. Many voters are sick of him. It depends if the left wing and Arab parties will get enough votes to tip the scales.

FADEL: NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, thank you.

ESTRIN: You're welcome.

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 ideologically   

adv. 意识形态上地，思想上地

参考例句：

• Ideologically, they have many differences. 在思想意识上，他们之间有许多不同之处。
• He has slipped back ideologically. 他思想退步了。

3 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。

4 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。

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

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。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

7 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

8 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

9 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

10 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

11 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

12 corona   

n.日冕

参考例句：

• The corona gains and loses energy continuously.日冕总是不断地获得能量和损失能量。
• The corona is a brilliant,pearly white,filmy light,about as bright as the full moon.光环带是一种灿烂的珠白色朦胧光，几乎像满月一样明亮。

13 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。