在长期执政的总理内塔尼亚胡未能成功组建联合政府之后，以色列议会周四投票解散议会。
The lawmakers voted 74 to 45 to end the current session of parliament and hold new elections on September 17. This marks the first time that Israel will have two elections within the same year.
议员们以74比45票解散了本届议会，并于9月17举行新的选举，这标志着以色列将首次在同年举行两次选举。
Netanyahu's Likud Party won 35 seats in parliament in the first election on April 9. But that was far less than the number needed for a majority in the 120-seat parliament.
内塔尼亚胡的利库德集团在4月9日第一次选举中赢得了35个议会席位，但是这远远少于议会多数席位所需的120个席位的数字。
Netanyahu was given until Wednesday night to form a government. He was hoping to form a coalition made up of Likud, ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and another group led by former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman.
内塔尼亚胡被要求在周三晚上之前组建政府，他希望组建一个由利库德集团、极端正统派犹太政党以及前国防部长利伯曼领导的党派组成的联合政府。
But negotiations collapsed when Netanyahu and the Jewish parties refused to agree to Lieberman's demand. The former minister wants the government to require ultra-Orthodox Jews to sign up for military service. Most Israelis over the age of 18 are required to do so.
但是内塔尼亚胡和犹太政党拒绝同意利伯曼的要求，谈判破裂。这位前部长希望政府要求极端正统派的犹太人报名服兵役，大多数18岁以上的以色列人都必须这样做。
Ultra-Orthodox Jews consider required military service a violation of their religious beliefs. Their rejection of military service angers other Israeli Jews.
极端正统派犹太人认为要求服兵役违反了他们的宗教信仰，他们拒绝服兵役激怒了其他以色列犹太人。
After the parliamentary vote, Netanyahu said, "We will run a sharp, clear election campaign, which will bring us victory. We will win, and the public will win."
内塔尼亚胡在议会投票后表示：“我们将会进行一场鲜明、明确的竞选活动，这将会为我们带来胜利。我们将会胜选，公众也会获胜。”
The Blue and White alliance of Benny Gantz narrowly lost to Likud in April. He would have likely been given a chance to form a government if parliament had not been dissolved. Gantz accused Netanyahu of being more concerned about his own political future than about what is good for the country.
蓝白党的甘茨在4月份以微弱劣势输给了利库德集团。如果议会没有解散，他很可能被授权组建政府。甘茨指责内塔尼亚胡更关心自己的政治前途，而不关心什么对国家有利。
Netanyahu and his supporters had expected the return to power would come easily. Netanyahu allies in Likud had already begun working on a bill aimed at granting him legal protection from corruption charges he is facing.
内塔尼亚胡和他的支持者曾经预计再次执政将会很容易实现。内塔尼亚胡在利库德集团的盟友都已经开始制定一项法案，旨在为他提供免受腐败指控的法律保护。
Netanyahu also was looking to push legislation to limit the power of Israel's Supreme Court and create a path for him to serve several more years in office.
内塔尼亚胡还希望推动立法限制以色列最高法院的权力，并为他执政更多年开辟道路。
Netanyahu first served as prime minister in the late 1990s. He returned to power in 2009, and has led the country for the past 10 years. In July, he is set to overtake Israel's founding father, David Ben-Gurion, as the longest-serving prime minister.
内塔尼亚胡在20世纪90年代首次担任总理，他于2009年重新掌权，过去10年一直领导着这个国家。今年7月，他将超越以色列的国父本-古里安，成为任职时间最长的总理。
The new election gives Gantz and other anti-Netanyahu forces in Israel another chance to defeat the longtime leader. The vote may make it more difficult for Netanyahu to pass bills aimed at protecting himself legally.
新的选举为甘茨以及以色列其它反内塔尼亚胡势力提供了击败这位长期领导人的又一次机会。这次投票可能会使内塔尼亚胡更难以通过旨在合法保护自己的法案。
Even if Netanyahu wins in September, it is unlikely he would be able to form a government and win enough support for an immunity deal before a possible indictment. That would force him to stand trial and, in turn, put pressure on him to step down.
即使内塔尼亚胡在9月份获胜，他也不太可能在潜在起诉之前组建政府并赢得获取豁免的足够支持。这将会迫使他接受审判，反过来这又会迫使他下台。
Israel's political problems could affect United States efforts for a Mideast peace deal. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans for a conference next month in Bahrain. At that meeting, the administration was planning to release what it calls the first step of its peace plan. U.S. officials had promised to release the plan only after the Israeli election.
以色列的政治问题可能会影响美国为实现中东和平协议所做的努力。美国总统川普领导的政府已经宣布下个月计划在巴林举行会议。美国政府计划在那次会议上发布其所谓的和平计划的第一步。美国官员承诺在以色列大选后才公布该计划。
I'm Caty Weaver.
我是凯蒂·韦弗。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)