2007年VOA标准英语-Israel's Netanyahu Headed for Victory in Likud

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
14 August 2007

Israel's main opposition¹ party, the Likud, is holding an election for party leader. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, one of Israel's most well-known politicians is facing off with an increasingly powerful bloc² of Jewish settlers and their supporters.

Benjamin Netanyahu, 14 Aug 2007

Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking reelection as head of the opposition Likud Party, and pollsters say it should be an easy win. As he cast his ballot³, Netanyahu urged the 100,000 members of the Likud to vote.

"We are beginning the campaign for the premiership and to bring a future of hope to our country," he said.

Mr. Netanyahu, a former prime minister, has soared in the polls since the inconclusive war in Lebanon a year ago, while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's popularity has plunged⁴.

National elections are not due until 2010, but if Mr. Olmert's fragile government collapses⁵, early elections could take place next year.

Mr. Netanyahu is a hawk⁶ who supports existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank and opposes a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. But he wants to appeal to Israelis in the center of the political spectrum⁷, so he has adopted a more moderate approach. He supports peace talks and some territorial⁸ concessions⁹ on condition that the Palestinians fulfill¹⁰ their commitments to fight terrorism.

That position has put him on a collision course with Moshe Feiglin, a religious settler who is challenging Netanyahu for the party leadership. Feiglin says the Likud has lost its nationalist roots.

"We understand that Israel needs leadership that represents the values of the people of Israel, not the emptiness that the existing leadership represents," said Feiglin.

Feiglin opposes peace talks and any territorial concessions to the Palestinians, and supports expanding Jewish settlement throughout the West Bank, or what he calls the biblical Land of Israel.

While Feiglin does not expect to win, he hopes that a strong showing of perhaps 30 percent of the vote would embarrass Mr. Netanyahu and push the Likud Party further to the right.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

3 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

4 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

5 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

6 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

7 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

8 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

9 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

10 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。