以色列特拉维夫——在特拉维夫一条主干道旁，一块电子广告牌上印着美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡的笑容照片，配以希伯来语标语：“投票给内塔尼亚胡！只有他能完成任务。”即使特朗普从未真正说过这些话，但他在以色列即将举行的大选前九天为内塔尼亚胡背书，传达的情绪却是相似的。
TEL AVIV, Israel — Along a major road in Tel Aviv, a digital billboard features a smiling President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu with a Hebrew message that reads: “Vote Netanyahu! Only with him will we finish the job.”Even if Trump never actually said those words, when Trump endorsed Netanyahu nine days before Israel’s upcoming election, the sentiment was similar.
鉴于与伊朗的持续战争，特朗普不愿与一位他不太熟悉的以色列总理建立全新的关系。
Given the ongoing war with Iran, Trump is reluctant to build a brand-new relationship with an Israeli prime minister he does not know as well.
“如果以色列选错了领导人，也就是除比比（内塔尼亚胡昵称）以外的任何人，美国将不得不亲自做这件事，而我不倾向于这样做，”特朗普在其“真相社交”平台上为内塔尼亚胡背书的帖子中写道，语气极为赞赏。
“If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so,” Trump wrote in his glowing Truth Social post backing Netanyahu.
特朗普称内塔尼亚胡是“在对抗伊朗伊斯兰共和国方面更伟大的和平伙伴”。这是美国总统首次公开为以色列总理候选人背书——这又是特朗普打破美国长期以来不公开为外国选举候选人背书传统的一个例子。
Trump called Netanyahu “an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”It was the first time a U.S. president had explicitly backed a candidate for Israeli prime minister — another example of Trump departing from the longstanding American tradition of not publicly endorsing candidates in foreign elections.
正如特朗普曾奔走助选、力保美国中期选举中共和党候选人当选一样，周二在以色列举行的大选将成为检验特朗普背书力量的又一次考验。
Like Trump’s barnstorming efforts to save the candidacies of Republicans running in midterms in the U.S., the elections in Israel on Tuesday will be another test of the power of Trump’s endorsement.
在特朗普首个任期内，随着他承认以色列对戈兰高地的主权、协助将以色列首都和美国大使馆迁至耶路撒冷、并促成《亚伯拉罕协议》，他在以色列的声望不断上升。
During Trump’s first time in office, his popularity in Israel grew as he recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, helped move the Israeli capital and U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and brokered the Abraham Accords.
他在内塔尼亚胡因未优先考虑以色列人质的生命、而将消灭哈马斯领导人置于首位遭受批评之际，促成与哈马斯达成协议释放加沙地带所有剩余人质，这也为他在以色列民众中的历史形象增光添彩。
His securing of a deal with Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza — after Netanyahu faced criticism for not prioritizing the lives of Israeli hostages over eliminating Hamas leaders — also burnished his legacy with the Israeli population.
虽然特朗普曾在以色列广受欢迎，但近期他的民望受挫，很大程度上是因为他在6月与伊朗签署的谅解备忘录。
While once widely popular in Israel, public opinion of Trump has recently taken a hit, in large part due to the memorandum of understanding with Iran he signed in June.
“我现在有99%的支持率在以色列，”特朗普在5月份夸耀道。然而到了7月份，以色列人对特朗普的信任度跌至历史最低点：根据犹太人民政策研究所的一项调查，只有7%的以色列人对特朗普表示“非常信任”，45%的人表示对特朗普毫无信心。
“I’m, right now, at 99% in Israel,” Trump boasted in May. By July, Israeli confidence in Trump hit a record low: Only 7% of Israelis had a “great deal” of confidence in Trump, with 45% saying they have no confidence, according to a poll by the Jewish People Policy Institute.
相比之下，在美国和以色列联合打击伊朗后的3月份进行的第一次民意调查中，有34%的以色列人对特朗普表示“非常信任”，而20%的人表示不信任。而在2月份（即伊朗冲突之前），73%的以色列人认为特朗普有望成为一位表现出色或表现中等的总统。
In contrast, the first survey in March after the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran recorded 34% were very confident in Trump, compared to 20% who were not. In February, prior to the Iran conflict, 73% of Israelis said Trump was on track to become one of the best or an above-average president.
一些前美国外交官和官员对这种支持态度感到惊讶。他们指出，尽管特朗普与内塔尼亚胡之间存在矛盾，但特朗普仍可能从这种合作关系中获益。
Former U.S. diplomats and officials, who were surprised by the endorsement, say despite Trump’s frustrations with Netanyahu, he could benefit from the familiar.
“我们必须明确一点：特朗普代表的是他自己，而内塔尼亚胡只是他的工具罢了，”曾在多个总统政府期间担任美国国务院阿拉伯-以色列事务谈判代表的亚伦·大卫·米勒说。
“Let’s be very clear: Trump is for Trump, Netanyahu is an instrument,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Arab-Israeli negotiator at the State Department who worked for several presidential administrations.
“我认为伊朗问题在这里至关重要，”米勒强调道，“特朗普认为自己能够操纵内塔尼亚胡的决策……但内塔尼亚胡的为人其实很复杂。”特朗普对内塔尼亚胡的了解非常深入。
“I think Iran is really important here,” Miller said, underscoring the focus of Trump’s endorsement post. “Trump thinks he can maneuver and manipulate Netanyahu, and it’s the devil you know.”And Trump knows Netanyahu well.
“与内塔尼亚胡政府合作确实比较方便，但我并不是说这对民主有益——只是因为他们合作已久，我们对相关的人物和情况都非常熟悉，”一位不愿公开姓名的前特朗普政府高级官员在接受MS NOW采访时说道。
“There is an ease of working with the Netanyahu government, and I’m not saying this is good for democracy, I’m just saying they have been around for so long that we know a lot of the players and people,” a former senior Trump administration official told MS NOW, granted anonymity to discuss diplomatic relationships.
如果内塔尼亚胡落选，特朗普将不得不学会如何与他的竞争对手合作——那位名叫加迪·艾森科特的以色列前军事将领目前领导着中间派的“雅沙尔”政党。
If Netanyahu loses, Trump will have to learn how to work with his rival: Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief who leads the centrist Yashar party.
“这里讨论的不是性格差异，而是重大意识形态差异或甚至重大政策变化，”前官员表示，并指出，如果伊森科特能够实现作为政治新人建立赢得联盟的政治壮举，其意义将非常重要。“如果他能做到，那将是一个相当好的指标，表明他将是，或者能够成为一名在世界舞台上与美国保持机智互动的玩家。”如果内塔尼亚胡的利库特党未能在议会赢得多数席位，将会出现数周甚至数月的联盟建设过程，并有可能出现新选举。
“What you’re talking about here is personality differences, not major ideological differences or even major policy changes,” the former official said, noting the significance if Eisenkot is able to pull off the political feat of building a winning coalition as a political newcomer. “If he can do that, then that’s a pretty good indicator that he’s going to be, or he can be, a savvy player on the world stage with the U.S.” If Netanyahu’s Likud party does not secure a majority of Knesset seats, weeks or even months of coalition-building will ensue, with the possibility of new elections.
一位高级国务院官员告诉MS NOW，特朗普政府已为以色列选举的各种可能性做好准备，包括出现僵局。
A senior State Department official told MS NOW the Trump administration is prepared for every eventuality of the Israeli elections, including a stalemate.
“我们致力于保持密切合作。我们将能够与选举结果出来的任何一方合作，建设性地开展工作，”该高级官员表示。
“We are committed to remaining close partners. We’re going to be able to work constructively with whoever comes out on the other side of the election,” the senior official said.
以色列选举可能对美国在以色列的核心利益产生重大影响——特朗普的加沙和平计划、西岸安全以及以色列与黎巴嫩的谈判——尽管现任和前官员预期，这些挑战无论选举结果如何均将持续。
The Israeli elections could have major implications for America’s primary interests in Israel — Trump’s Gaza peace plan, security in the West Bank, and Israel-Lebanon negotiations — though current and former officials expect those challenges to remain regardless of the results.
但新一届以色列领导人可能改善美国公众对以色列的日益消极情绪，并在内塔尼亚胡因加沙战争罪行而受到国际刑事法院追诉离开后，为亲以色列的众议院民主党人提供支持。
But a new Israeli leader could potentially improve the worsening mood toward Israel among the American public and give pro-Israel congressional Democrats cover if Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, is gone.
“如果政府和总理发生变动，其作用就是止血，”丹尼斯·罗斯说。他在老布什和比尔·克林顿政府时期担任中东和平进程的关键美国特使。“这提醒所有人，以色列是一个民主国家，是中东唯一的民主国家。”
“If there’s a change in the government and the prime minister, what it does is it stops the bleeding,” said Dennis Ross, who was the key U.S. envoy in the Middle East peace process during the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. “It reminds everybody that Israel is a democracy, the only one in the Middle East.”
纳坦·佩雷茨和妻子哈达斯切身感受到了伊朗战争扩大后的影响。这对育有三个孩子的父母居住在以色列北部小镇什洛米，靠近黎巴嫩边境，面临着伊朗代理人真主党近乎持续不断的无人机和导弹袭击威胁。
Natan Peretz and his wife Hadas have felt the expanded effects of the Iran war firsthand. The parents of three children live in Shlomi, a small town in northern Israel close to the Lebanon border facing a near constant threat of drone and missile attacks from Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy.
现年42岁的佩雷茨对特朗普抱有复杂感受。他说，伊朗战争对他们来说“非常可怕”。“听着，他是个疯子，”他在耶路撒冷接受MS NOW采访时说。“他能在一秒钟内改变主意。”现年39岁的哈达斯·佩雷茨曾对特朗普及其对以色列的支持持积极看法——直到他试图在没有以色列参与的情况下谈判结束伊朗战争。“你不能和恐怖分子对话，”她说。
Peretz, 42, had mixed feelings about Trump. He said the Iran war has been “horrible for us.””Look, he’s a crazy guy,” he said, speaking to MS NOW in Jerusalem. “He can change his mind in a second.”Hadas Peretz, 39, once had a positive view of Trump and his support for Israel — until he attempted to negotiate an end to the Iran war without Israel’s involvement. “You cannot talk with terrorists,” she said.
佩雷茨夫妇计划投票反对内塔尼亚胡，他们说内塔尼亚胡不关心帮助以色列民众。
The Peretzes plan to vote against Netanyahu, who they say does not care about helping the people in Israel.
西蒙·弗里德曼和施拉吉·施特劳斯均从纽约移居以色列，仍视特朗普为以色列最坚定的支持者之一。他们在耶路撒冷接受MS NOW采访。
Shimon Friedman and Shragie Strauss, who both moved to Israel from New York, still see Trump as one of Israel’s strongest supporters. They spoke to MS NOW in Jerusalem.
“我过去其实是反特朗普的，但现在我是亲以色列的，我觉得左翼走得太远了，所以我觉得他站在正确的一边，”30岁的弗里德曼说。对于特朗普和内塔尼亚胡最近动荡的关系，施特劳斯并不在意。
“I used to be actually anti-[Trump], but right now, I’m pro-Israel and I feel like the left wing has gone very far, so I feel like he’s on the right side,” said Friedman, 30. Strauss was unbothered by the recently tumultuous relationship between Trump and Netanyahu.
“到目前为止，他确实看起来在很大程度上挺我们，”26岁的施特劳斯说。“尽管有时他会骂内塔尼亚胡，但我觉得他对谁都这样骂过。”
“So far, he’s definitely seemed like he stuck up for us a lot,” said Strauss, 26. “Even though at points he’s cursed him out, but I feel like he’s done that to everybody.”