媒體評論如今的以色列政府開始"兩面下注"

In the last week of November, Israel was locked in a tense, politically charged set of negotiations with EU diplomats over a 1.5bn package of loans from Brussels. The talks were bound to be difficult: the Europeans had already stipulated that the money would go only to organisations that did not do business in Jewish settlements on occupied Arab land.

去年11月的最後一週，以色列與歐盟(EU)外交官展開了氣氛緊張、政治色彩濃厚的一系列談判，主題是歐盟向以色列提供的15億歐元貸款。談判註定不會輕鬆：歐洲人已經講明，接受貸款的企業不能在以色列所佔領的阿拉伯地區的猶太人定居點做生意。

To some Israelis, the EU’s position – designed to make a point about the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state – raised fears that the country was sliding towards the economic isolation South Africa felt in the final years of apartheid.

歐盟之所以採取這樣的立場，是認爲有必要在以色列和未來的巴勒斯坦國之間劃清邊界。這讓一些以色列人擔心，它正滑向南非在種族隔離政策末期所經歷的那種經濟孤立局面。

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, called an emergency cabinet meeting to find a way of breaking the stalemate to renew the terms for the loan programme, known as Horizon 2020. Within days, an agreement was reached: the EU would provide the money but none of it would benefit Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.

以色列總理本雅明•內塔尼亞胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)召開內閣緊急會議，試圖打破僵局，爲這一名爲“地平線2020”(Horizon 2020)的貸款計劃重新商定條款。不出幾日，雙方達成了協議：歐盟同意提供貸款，但所有貸款不得惠及約旦河西岸、東耶路撒冷或戈蘭高地的以色列定居點。

While this acrimonious negotiation was playing out, Israel was pursuing another initiative. It received far less attention but offered a sign of how the nation sees its future place in the world: President Shimon Peres was off to Mexico City, where the atmosphere was far less contentious.

在談判劍拔弩張之際，以色列還在開展另一項行動。該行動受到的關注遠不及前者，但象徵着以色列對其未來地位的看法：以色列總統西蒙•佩雷斯(Shimon Peres)啓程訪問墨西哥城，那裏的氣氛要平和得多。

There he was greeted by President Enrique Peña Nieto and an honour guard at the Palacio Nacional. With him was an 80-strong delegation representing some of Israel’s most promising and sought-after industries, from high-tech irrigation and cyber security to drones.

墨西哥總統恩裏克•佩尼亞•涅託(Enrique Peña Nieto)在墨西哥國家宮(Palacio Nacional)熱烈歡迎了佩雷斯，並安排了儀仗隊檢閱儀式。與佩雷斯隨行的還有一個規模達80人的代表團，他們代表了以色列最有前途、最熱門的行業，包括高科技灌溉、網絡安全和無人機等等。

The Mexican trip was part of a broad strategic push by Israel into emerging markets, where it hopes there will be more interest in its technology than the conflict over its borders. As Israel’s political relations fray with the EU – and some question its relationship with the US – Mr Netanyahu’s government is seeking to diversify its economic relations by strengthening ties with faster-growing countries.

墨西哥之行是以色列進軍新興市場戰略計劃的一部分。它希望這些國家能更關心自己的技術，而不是邊界衝突。隨着以色列與歐盟的政治關係出現裂痕，同時對美關係也受到一些人質疑，內塔尼亞胡政府正尋求加強與增長較快國家的雙邊關係，將經濟聯繫多元化。

The Israeli delegation was met by Carlos Slim, the telecoms baron and world’s richest man, who led a group of Mexican chief executives eager to learn from and do business with their counterparts.

墨西哥電信大亨、全球首富卡洛斯•斯利姆(Carlos Slim)會見了以色列代表團。以斯利姆爲首的一批墨西哥公司的首席執行官們，渴望與以色列的同行交流學習，並建立商業往來。

“We like to have our finger on the pulse of everything regarding new technologies, and I know that in this Israel is a world leader,” Mr Slim said in a speech at his Museo Soumaya art museum, adding that he hoped to invest more in Israel. Mr Slim’s America Movil was an investor in a recent $60m financing round for Mobli, a promising Israeli start-up mobile photo and video-sharing platform.

斯利姆在他的索馬亞藝術博物館(Museo Soumaya)講道：“我們希望把握新技術的脈搏，我也知道以色列在這方面處於全球領先地位。”他補充稱，希望加大在以色列的投資。斯利姆旗下的墨西哥美洲電信公司(America Movil)近期參與了以色列初創公司Mobli價值6000萬美元的一輪融資活動。Mobli是一個手機圖片和視頻分享平臺，具有非常好的發展前景。

In targeting emerging economies, Israeli officials say they are going after the same high-growth markets most other countries are pursuing – but acknowledge that there is also a political component to the shift in strategy.

以色列官員表示，打入新興市場，即是像大多數國家那樣瞄準高增長市場，但他們承認，這種戰略變化也有政治上的考慮。

“The lesson we learnt from the recent experience negotiating with the EU over Horizon 2020 was that Israel cannot put all of its eggs in one basket,” says Naftali Bennett, Israel’s economy minister and head of the rightwing, pro-settler Jewish Home party. “We need to scatter them.”

“最近與歐盟就‘地平線2020’的談判讓我們認識到，以色列不能把所有雞蛋放在同一個籃子裏，”以色列經濟部長納夫塔利•本內特(Naftali Bennett)表示，“我們要把雞蛋分散在不同的籃子裏。”本內特是支持以色列建立定居點的右翼政黨猶太家園黨(Jewish Home Party)的黨魁。

Another government official, reflecting on a recent visit by Chinese politicians to Israel, put matters more bluntly: “They don’t care about the [Palestinian] issue,” the official said. “They want to talk about three things: Israeli technology, Israeli technology and Israeli technology.”

另一位政府官員回顧了中國政府官員近期對以色列的訪問，其言辭更爲直言不諱。“他們不關心巴勒斯坦問題，”這位官員說，“他們想談三件事：以色列技術、以色列技術和以色列技術。”

Israel’s economic pivot to the east and south is a welcome development for the majority of Israelis who reject Europe’s growing drive to isolate their country economically over its Palestinian policies.

歐洲越來越通過經濟孤立來影響以色列的對巴勒斯坦政策，這引起了以色列人的反對。因此，將經濟重心轉向東方和南方國家頗受絕大多數以色列人的歡迎。

But Israel’s shift could – if it succeeds – be bad news for the international “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” movement, which favours a full economic boycott of Israel to press it to make peace.

但以色列的戰略轉移一旦成功，就可能不利於國際上的“抵制、孤立、制裁”(BDS)運動，後者傾向於對以色列進行全盤經濟抵制，迫使它實現和平。

It comes as the BDS movement takes heart from recent decisions by European companies such as Vitens, the Dutch water company, and Veolia, the French infrastructure group, to curtail business in the West Bank after facing pressure from campaigners. Last month the American Studies Association, a US academic group, made a controversial decision to boycott Israeli universities, which Israelis worry could presage similar moves.

最近，在活動人士的壓力下，荷蘭水務公司Vitens和法國基建集團威立雅(Veolia)等歐洲公司削減了它們在約旦河西岸的業務，這讓BDS運動大受鼓舞。去年12月，美國學術團體——美國研究協會(American Studies Association)做出了一項有爭議的決定：抵制以色列大學。以色列人擔心其他團體也會採取類似舉措。

While the EU has promised “unprecedented” economic aid to Israel and the Palestinians if they make peace, it has shown increasing willingness to brandish the economic stick, too. Apart from the new Horizon 2020 guidelines, Brussels is also considering adopting rules that require labelling of fruit, vegetables and other goods produced in settlements that are sold in the EU.

雖然歐盟承諾，如果巴以修好，它將向以色列和巴勒斯坦人提供“空前”的經濟援助，但它也越發表現出揮舞經濟“大棒”的意願。除了新的“地平線2020”的指導方針外，歐盟還在考慮出臺規定，要求以色列在定居點生產並銷往歐洲的水果、蔬菜等商品上貼上標籤明示。

Yair Lapid, the finance minister, and Tzipi Livni, Israel’s chief negotiator in the talks with the Palestinians, are among the moderate members of Mr Netanyahu’s government who have warned that their country could face sanctions of the kind seen in apartheid-era South Africa if it fails to negotiate peace.

以色列財長亞伊爾•拉皮德(Yair Lapid)和巴以和談中以方首席談判代表齊皮•利夫尼(Tzipi Livni)是內塔尼亞胡政府中的溫和派成員。他們警告稱，如果以色列不進行和談，就可能面臨南非在種族隔離時代遭受的那種制裁。

However, defence minister Moshe Ya’alon, a leading rightwinger in the ruling Likud party and a sceptic of the peace talks, said he preferred “EU boycotts over rockets on Tel Aviv”. His comments reflect a steelier view within government that Israel is ready to weather economic isolation.

但執政黨利庫德黨(Likud Party)的重要右翼成員、國防部長摩西•亞阿隆(Moshe Ya’alon)對和談表示懷疑，稱“寧可忍受歐盟的抵制，也不願特拉維夫被火箭彈攻擊”。他的言辭反映了政府內部強硬派的觀點：以色列已經做好了承受經濟孤立的準備。

Mr Bennett, a former businessman who co-founded and sold a successful software company before entering politics, is the principal architect of Israel’s push into new markets. Among leftwing Israelis, he is an object of scorn for his categorical rejection of a Palestinian state. He once compared Israel’s ability to live with the conflict to a man he knew who was able to adjust to life with a piece of shrapnel in his rear end.

以色列經濟部長本內特是以色列打入新興市場計劃的主要設計師。他在從政前曾是一家軟件公司的聯合創始人，並在公司取得成功後將其出售。由於旗幟鮮明地反對巴勒斯坦建國，他成爲左翼以色列人奚落的對象。本內特的一位熟人曾被榴霰彈擊中臀部，但現在這個人學會了如何帶着彈片生活，本內特認爲以色列也有能力在衝突中生存。

While remarks such as these have made headlines, Mr Bennett has – more quietly – led economic delegations to China and India. His ministry is closing Israeli trade missions in Sweden and Finland and opening missions in China, India and Brazil.

此類言論曾被媒體廣泛報道，但更不爲人知的是，本內特曾率領經濟代表團訪問中國和印度。以色列經濟部正在撤回駐瑞典和芬蘭的貿易代表團，轉而向中國、印度和巴西派遣貿易代表團。

On the sidelines of the World Trade Organisation summit in Bali last month, Mr Bennett met his Russian counterpart Aleksey Ulyukayev, and the two men agreed to begin talks on a new free-trade agreement. Russia and Israel already trade $2bn a year worth of diamonds.

在去年12月的世界貿易組織(WTO)巴厘島峯會間隙，本內特會晤了俄羅斯經濟發展部長阿列克謝•烏柳卡耶夫(Aleksey Ulyukayev)。兩人同意開始新的自貿協定的談判。俄羅斯和以色列已經開展了每年高達20億美元的鑽石貿易。

While in Bali, Mr Bennett and his colleagues also met other trade delegations and held talks on future FTAs with “a number of surprising countries”, he said afterwards, the names of which he did not reveal.

本內特後來表示，在巴厘島期間，他和同事們還會見了其他國家的貿易代表團，與“多個冷門國家”舉行了自貿協定談判。但他沒有透露具體有哪些國家。

Israel’s foreign ministry has also welcomed delegations from countries in Latin America and elsewhere interested in the policies and regulations that make the Jewish state one of the leading centres of innovation. “There is a major effort in the ministry of foreign affairs to ‘brand’ Israel as a start-up nation,” says Irit Ben-Abba, deputy director-general of the ministry’s economic affairs division.

以色列外交部還迎來了拉美等地區的政府代表團，後者有意瞭解是哪些政策法規推動這個猶太人國家成爲重要的創新中心。以色列外交部經濟事務司副司長伊裏特•本-阿巴(Irit Ben-Abba)表示：“外交部竭力將以色列‘包裝’爲‘創業國家’。”

Israel’s economic shift comes at a time when its geopolitical bearings are in a broader state of flux.

以色列的經濟戰略轉移，發生在其地緣政治地位不穩定的背景下。

Alongside the friction with the EU, Israelis have in recent months also questioned their country’s reliance on the US, their closest ally and another main trading partner, because of differences over the nuclear negotiations with Iran.

除與歐盟發生摩擦外，由於伊朗核談判問題上的分歧，以色列人近幾個月還對本國對美國的依賴提出質疑。美國是以色列最親密的盟友，也是該國另一大主要貿易伙伴。

Avigdor Lieberman, foreign minister, said in a recent speech that Israel’s link with the US was “waning” and the country needed to shift from a “unidirectional” foreign policy to one of seeking better relations with a more diverse range of countries.

以色列外長阿維格多爾•利伯曼(Avigdor Lieberman)最近在一場演講中表示，以色列與美國的關係正在“弱化”，該國需要擺脫“單向”的外交政策，轉而與一系列不同的國家修好關係。

The same tensions over Iran have aligned Israel more closely with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations but has long done business through back channels. After his visit to Bali, Mr Bennett noted that he had given a speech to 157 trade ministers – including those from Arab and Muslim states – and “we didn’t notice anyone walk out”.

同樣由於伊朗緊張局勢，以色列與沙特和其他海灣國家走得更近。以色列沒有與這些國家建交，但長期以來通過祕密渠道與它們做生意。本內特在巴厘島之行後指出，他曾向157個國家（包括阿拉伯和穆斯林國家）的貿易部長髮表演講，“我們未發現有人離席”。

Israeli and European officials say that the EU, which accounts for about a third of Israel’s imports and a quarter of exports, will remain an essential trading partner for the country for now.

以色列和歐洲官員均表示，歐盟仍將是該國不可或缺的貿易伙伴。以色列三分之一的進口來自歐盟，同時對歐洲的出口佔到其出口總額的四分之一。

However, as a precarious peace process continues, Israel is hedging its bets and realigning itself in the world.

但在脆弱的和平進程推進之際，以色列也在兩面下注，重新加強與世界各國的聯繫。

Last Monday, as John Kerry, the US secretary of state, was heading to the region, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat warned that Israel’s government had “foiled the talks” because of its continued expansion of settlements and controversial draft legislation to annex the Jordan Valley.

去年12月底，美國國務卿約翰•克里(John Kerry)出訪中東地區。巴方談判代表賽義布•埃雷卡特(Saeb Erekat)警告稱，以色列政府“阻撓談判”，不斷擴建定居點，並且起草爭議的立法，試圖吞併約旦河谷。

That same day, Mr Netanyahu convened a meeting in his Jerusalem office of a new committee on advancing economic ties with China.

與此同一天，內塔尼亞胡在他位於耶路撒冷的辦公室舉行會議，召集了一個爲加強對華經濟聯繫而新設立的委員會參加。

With four ministers in the room, the prime minister was briefed on the arrival of new Chinese investors in Israel and plans to open a consulate in Chengdu. In 2014 the two countries will hold joint working groups on agriculture, water, energy, clean technology and high technology in Israel and China.

內塔尼亞胡和與會的四位部長聽取了中國新投資者抵達以色列的消息，以及以色列在成都開設領事館的計劃。2014年，中以兩國將在農業、水利、能源、清潔技術和高科技領域設立聯合工作組。

“Our goal is to consistently increase trade with China, year after year,” Mr Netanyahu said afterwards. “This is one of the main horizons for ensuring the growth of the Israeli economy.”

“我們的目標是逐年增加對華貿易，”內塔尼亞胡後來表示，“這是保障以色列經濟增長的主要着眼點之一。”