Israel is headed for early elections, after Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni on Sunday announced she has given up efforts to form a coalition government. Livni's failure to form a government is a setback for efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians by year's end.
以色列向提前举行选举的方向迈进，此前被推选担任以色列总理的齐皮.利夫尼星期天宣布她放弃组建联合政府的努力。利夫尼组阁失败使得以色列在年底之前跟巴勒斯坦达成和平协议的努力受到挫折。
For weeks, Tzipi Livni has been negotiating with Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Livni was elected head of the centrist Kadima party last month, and was due to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who resigned last month amid corruption allegations.
几个星期以来，利夫尼一直在跟以色列极端正统派沙斯党进行谈判。利夫尼上个月当选温和派前进党的主席，应该接替因为腐败指控于上个月辞职的奥尔默特担任总理。
Livni was given several weeks to form a coalition government or face early elections.
利夫尼有几个月的时间组建联合政府，否则就要提前举行选举。
On Sunday, Livni announced she was dropping efforts to form a government. She said she decided to stop the talks when it became clear that parties were taking advantage of the opportunity to pose what she said were illegitimate economic and political demands.
星期天，利夫尼宣布放弃组建联合政府的努力。她说，她决定停止谈判是因为各个政党很明显想利用组建联合政府这个机会提出不合理的经济和政治要求。
Livni told reporters on Sunday she had informed President Shimon Peres that, given the circumstances, there would have to be elections as soon as possible.
利夫尼星期天对记者说，她已经告知佩雷斯总统，鉴于目前这种情况，应该尽快举行选举。
It is now up to President Peres to call for the poll, which could take place in February, more than a year ahead of schedule.
现在要由总统佩雷斯提出提早举行选举的决定，选举可能安排在明年2月，比原计划提前一年多。
Parties in Israel are deeply divided over how to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. The Shas party has opposed any Israeli concession on Jerusalem, the eastern part of which the Palestinians want as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
以色列各政党在如何解决跟巴勒斯坦人的冲突问题上分歧很深。沙斯党反对在耶路撒冷地位上做任何让步，巴勒斯坦人则希望把耶路撒冷的东半部做为未来巴勒斯坦国的首都。
Livni was unwilling to promise Shas hundreds of millions of dollars it demanded for welfare and religious programs. The party's support base is largely among Israel's impoverished, ultra-conservative Jewish factions.
利夫尼不同意沙斯党提出的要数百万美元用于改善福利和宗教活动的要求。支持沙斯党的基本是以色列贫穷的、极端保守的犹太教派。
Speaking on Israeli radio, Shas leader Eli Yishai said his party cannot be bought and will not sell Jerusalem. He said that has been the party's message since the start of talks, and once its demands on Jerusalem and child allowances were not met, the party decided it could not join the government.
沙斯党领袖埃利.伊萨伊在以色列电台讲话时说，沙斯党不会被收买，也不会出卖耶路撒冷。他说，谈判开始以来这一直是沙斯党的宗旨；伊萨伊还说，只要它有关耶路撒冷和儿童补助款的要求没有得到满足，沙斯党就决定不加入联合政府。
Livni has preferred to push for a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. Her centrist position will be put to the test in new elections that analysts say will be tough for her party to win.
利夫尼主张通过协商解决跟巴勒斯坦人的冲突。她的温和派立场将在选举中经受考验，分析人士认为她领导的前进党要想在选举中获胜非常困难。
Support has been building in Israel for Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party, as many Israelis have expressed growing uneasiness over what they perceive as the growing threat of Iran and its nuclear ambitions. Concern is also mounting over instability in the Palestinian territories, which are divided between the moderate Fatah faction in the West Bank and the rival militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
内塔尼亚胡和他领导的右翼在以色列得到越来越多的支持，许多以色列人对来自伊朗和伊朗的核野心越来越感到不安。以色列人还对巴勒斯坦地区内部的不稳定越来越担心，这个地区分为以温和派法塔赫控制的约旦河西岸，以及和法塔赫对立的哈马斯激进组织控制的加沙地带。
With Israel's internal politics in turmoil, prospects of negotiating a deal with the Palestinians soon appeared unlikely.
由于以色列内部政治动荡不定，在近期内要通过协商尽快跟巴勒斯坦人达成和平协议似乎可能性不大。
A Palestinian negotiator on Sunday said he hopes Israel will stay the course and continue with the peace process. Talks brokered by the United States since last November have made little visible progress, and both sides said it will be difficult for them to reach an agreement by year's end as Washington has urged them to do.
巴勒斯坦一位谈判代表星期天表示，他希望以色列坚持目前的方向，继续和平进程。美国去年11月斡旋的以巴谈判没有取得明显进展，目前鼓励谈判双方在今年年底之前达成协议，但是以色列和巴勒斯坦都认为要达到这个目标很困难。 |