世界上许多人对以色列心怀敬畏。这个国家只有六十年历史，由一个遭受了数百年迫害的民族建立，如今拥有世界上最先进的军队之一。以色列自建国以来，竟在四次战争中击败了周边国家，而其人口规模却仅相当于一座小岛。正是这些现实让许多人相信，是以色列在世界范围内操纵着局势，甚至控制着美国的外交政策。真正需要探讨的是：谁在控制谁，控制到了何种程度？

Many people around the world look in awe towards Israel, a nation only 60 years old, built by a people who were persecuted for centuries and have one of the most advanced militaries in the world. Israel has managed, from its inception, to defeat its neighbouring nations in four wars, even though its population is that of a small island. It is such realities that have led to many believing it is Israel that pulls the strings around the world even controlling US foreign policy. What needs to be explored is who controls who and to what extent?

过去近三十五年来，美国与以色列的密切关系一直是美国外交政策中最引人注目的特征之一。华盛顿每年向以色列提供的30亿美元军事和经济援助，在国会中几乎很少受到质疑，即便是通常反对向严重侵犯人权的政府提供援助的自由派人士，或通常反对一般性对外援助的保守派人士，也鲜有异议。几乎所有西方国家都与美国一样，坚定支持以色列在和平与安全中生存的权利。每当以色列持续违反国际法及相关问题遭到质疑时，美国常常在联合国和其他国际论坛上与以色列孤立无援地站在一起。

The close relationship between the US and Israel has been one of the most salient features in US foreign policy for nearly three and a half decades. The $3 billion in military and economic aid sent annually to Israel by Washington is rarely questioned in Congress, even by liberals who normally challenge US aid to governments that engage in widespread violations of human rights, or by conservatives who usually oppose foreign aid in general. Virtually all Western countries share the United States strong support for Israel’s right to exist in peace and security. The US often stands alone with Israel at the United Nations and other international forums when objections are raised over ongoing Israeli violations of international law and related concerns.

第二次世界大战后，美国开始关注中东，因为它尝到了海湾石油的好处，并认定自己不能再置身事外，于是开始在该地区进行布局。1944年，美国国务院将阿拉伯半岛描述为：“一个巨大的战略力量源泉，也是世界历史上最大的物质战利品。”美国清楚地知道，控制该地区的石油供应就等于掌握了控制世界的杠杆。正如遏制苏联政策的重要策划者乔治·凯南在1949年所言：“如果美国控制了石油，它就将对德国和日本这类潜在对手未来的行动拥有否决权。”认识到中东的潜力后，美国先后制定了多项计划和战略，以控制该地区。

The US took an interest in the Middle East after World War 2 when it tasted the benefits of Gulf oil and decided that it could no longer remain isolated and began manoeuvring in the region. In 1944 the State Department described the Arabian Peninsula as constituting: ‘A stupendous source of strategic power and the greatest material prize in the world’s history.’ The United States was aware that control of the region’s oil supply was a lever to control the world. As George Kennan, the influential planner of the containment of the Soviet Union put it in 1949: ‘If the US controlled the oil, it would have veto power over the potential actions in the future of rivals like Germany and Japan’ Realising the potential of the Middle East, the US set forward multiple plans and strategies to control the region.

1906年，英国首相亨利·班纳曼曾提议建立一个犹太人家园。他说："有这样一群人（穆斯林），他们掌控着广袤的疆域，那里蕴藏着显见和隐藏的丰富资源。他们控制着世界交通路线的交汇之处。他们的土地是人类文明和宗教的摇篮。这些人拥有同一种信仰、同一种语言、同一段历史和相同的志向。没有任何自然屏障能够将这些人彼此隔绝……如果这个民族偶然统一为一个国家，它就会掌握世界的命运，并将欧洲与世界其他地区分隔开来。认真考虑这些因素之后，应当在这个民族的心脏地带植入一个外来机体，以阻止其双翼的汇合，使其在永无止境的战争中耗尽力量。它还可以成为西方获取其觊觎之物的跳板。"

The establishment of a Jewish homeland had been proposed by British Prime Minister Henry Bannerman in 1906: ‘There are people (the Muslims) who control spacious territories teeming with manifest and hidden resources. They dominate the intersections of world routes. Their lands were the cradles of human civilizations and religions. These people have one faith, one language, one history and the same aspirations. No natural barriers can isolate these people from one another ... if, per chance, this nation were to be unified into one state; it would then take the fate of the world into its hands and would separate Europe from the rest of the world. Taking these considerations seriously, a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never-ending wars. It could also serve as a springboard for the West to gain its coveted objects.

以色列的建立，是基于满足英国的利益，即将其安置在穆斯林世界的中心；然而，第二次世界大战后英国的衰弱，导致美国重新调整了该地区的格局。

Israel was created on the basis of fulfilling a British interest by being placed in the middle of the Muslim world; however British weakness after World War 2 led to the US reorganising the region.

美国期望以色列在明确而安全的边界之内，尽管以色列建国时怀有大以色列(Eretz Israel)的梦想。这是美国与以色列之间的第一个分歧。以色列的立场十分明确，因为它从一开始就拒绝划定自己的边界。这表明以色列并非美国的殖民地，两国之间存在着利益冲突。

The US looked towards Israel, within defined and secure boundaries, even though it was established with dreams of Eretz Israel (a greater Israel). This was the first difference between the US and Israel. The position of Israel is very clear since it has refused to define its borders from the very beginning. This exposed the fact that Israel was not a colony of the US and there were conflicting interests between the two.

自犹太复国主义运动建立以来,犹太人就一直致力于在该地区实现经济和政治上的支配。美国拒绝以犹太人的影响力取代欧洲的影响力,也拒绝与任何其他国家分享权力。美国承诺保护以色列,保障其安全,并确保生活在那里的犹太人拥有繁荣的生活水平。然而,它不允许以色列与其分享影响力。为了阻止以色列的扩张和以色列影响力在该地区的蔓延,美国的政策一直是将以色列与该地区其他国家隔离开来,试图遏制以色列,并削弱其在解决巴勒斯坦问题和中东问题中的作用。美国的政策以建立一个巴勒斯坦国作为遏制的工具为核心;通过建立一系列国际保障机制,并部署多国部队沿以色列与周边阿拉伯国家——约旦、叙利亚、埃及以及未来的巴勒斯坦国——之间的边界驻扎。美国的政策还致力于耶路撒冷的国际化,因为美国认为这种国际化是解决耶路撒冷这一敏感危机的方案,既能满足基督徒的愿望,又能通过联合国的存在保障美国的强大影响力。

Ever since the establishment of the Zionist movement, the Jews have been aiming to achieve economic and political domination over the region. America rejects the idea of substituting European influence with Jewish influence, and she also rejects the idea of sharing power with any other country. America is committed to protecting Israel, guaranteeing her security and securing a prosperous standard of living for the Jews living there. However, she refuses to allow Israel to share the influence with her. In order to prevent Israeli expansion and the spread of Israeli influence in the region, American policy has been based on isolating Israel from the rest of the region in an attempt to curtail her and minimise her role in the quest to solve the Palestinian issue and the Middle Eastern issue. US policy is centred around establishing a Palestinian state to act as an instrument of containment; by establishing a host of international guarantees and by bringing multinational forces to be deployed along the borders between Israel and the neighbouring Arab countries - Jordan, Syria, Egypt and the future Palestinian State. The American policy has also been based on working towards the internationalisation of Jerusalem, as America sees this internationalisation as a solution to the sensitive crisis of Jerusalem that would please the Christians and guarantee a strong American presence through the presence of the United Nations.

美国和以色列外交政策发展到今天的局面，是由一系列错综复杂的因素共同造成的。

There are a whole host of factors which has led the US and Israeli foreign policies to reach the extent they have today:

许多美国公民对以色列怀有一种情感上的依恋，尤其是许多自由派人士，在政府和媒体担任领导职务的战后一代人中更是如此。许多美国人认同以色列的历史斗争、其国内的民主制度、相对较高的生活水平，以及它作为一个在流散中历经数百年之久的受压迫少数群体的庇护所这一角色。

- Many US citizens share a sentimental attachment with Israel especially many liberals - particularly among the post-war generation in leadership positions in government and the media. Many Americans identify with Israel’s historical struggle, internal democracy, relatively high standard of living and its role as a sanctuary for an oppressed minority group that spent centuries in diaspora.

- 美国的基督教右翼拥有数以千万计的追随者，是共和党的重要支持基础，长期以来，他们动用其庞大的媒体与政治影响力支持以色列及以色列的其他右翼领导人。这一立场部分基于一种神学观念：犹太人重返圣地是基督再临的前兆。在他们看来，以色列人与巴勒斯坦人之间的冲突，不过是以色列人与非利士人之间那场争斗的延续，并且，上帝已裁定这片土地唯独属于以色列。

- The Christian Right in the US, with tens of millions of followers and a major base of support for the Republican Party, historically has thrown its immense media and political clout in support of Israel and other right-wing Israeli leaders. Based in part on a theology that sees the ingathering of Jews to the Holy Land as a precursor for the second coming of Christ, the battle between Israelis and Palestinians is, in their eyes, simply a continuation of the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, with God having deemed that the land belongs to Israel alone.

- 主流和保守的犹太组织动员了相当可观的游说资源、犹太社群的财务捐助，以及来自公民的压力，对新闻媒体和其他公共讨论平台施压，以支持以色列政府。亲以色列游说团体的作用，是营造一种符合以色列利益的舆论氛围，并协助在那些试图缓和美国政策的人群中制造一种恐吓氛围，其中包括越来越多的进步派犹太人。

- Mainstream and conservative Jewish organisations have mobilised considerable lobbying resources, financial contributions from the Jewish community, and citizen pressure on the news media and other forums of public discourse in support of the Israeli government. The role of the pro-Israel lobby is to create a climate in line with Israeli interests and help in the creation of a climate of intimidation among those who seek to moderate US policy, including growing numbers of progressive Jews.

- 军火工业向国会竞选和游说活动所投入的资金，是美国以色列公共事务委员会（AIPAC）及其他亲以色列团体总和的五倍。然而，该行业确实在大规模向以色列及美国在中东的其他盟友运送军火方面有着相当大的利益。国会议员挑战一笔例如向印度尼西亚出售价值6000万美元的军售交易，远比挑战向以色列出售价值20亿美元的军火容易得多，尤其是在许多国会选区都设有生产此类军事装备的工厂的情况下。 以色列成功地建立了一个国家，并调动其资源实现了许多长期目标。然而，没有西方的支持，很难想象以色列能达到今天的地位。不过，以色列未能实现其最终目标，即建立一个拥有固定边界的国家，囊括据称神所应许给它的土地。而这只有一个原因——这样的目标不符合美国的利益。

- The arms industry, contributes five times more money to congressional campaigns and lobbying efforts than AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and other proIsrael groups combined. The industry however does have a considerable stake in supporting massive arms shipments to Israel and other Middle Eastern allies of the United States. It is far easier for a member of Congress to challenge a $60 million arms deal to Indonesia, for example, than the $2 billion of arms to Israel, particularly when so many congressional districts include factories that produce such military hardware. Israel has successfully managed to build a state and then mobilise its resources to achieve many of its long term aims. However, without Western support it is impossible to see how Israel could reach the position it is in today. Israel has however failed in its ultimate aim of establishing a state with fixed borders encompassing the lands it was supposedly promised by God and this is due only to one reason – such an aim is not in the interests of the US.

美国的计划是确定以色列的边界，并与一个巴勒斯坦国并存。利库德集团是以色列历史上大部分时期的执政党，该党曾试图通过修建定居点、驱逐穆斯林来单方面划定边界。然而，以色列在任何最终解决方案上仍需要美国的支持，因此它在美国和世界媒体中组织游说活动，以期争取有利的结果。实现“以色列地”（Eratz Israel）的努力又因以色列工党的立场而变得复杂：该党主张让出部分土地，以换取永久确定的边界，并认为这是为获得所需安全而值得付出的代价。

The US plans defined Israeli borders alongside a Palestinian state. The Likud party which has been the party of power for most of Israel’s history attempted to unilaterally define the borders by building settlements and expelling Muslims. However, Israel still needs the US for any final settlement and for these reasons it has organised lobbying in the US and the world’s media in order to achieve a favourable outcome. The endeavour to achieve Eratz Israel is complicated by the fact that the Labour party in Israel believes in giving up land for permanent defined borders. It believes this is a price worth paying for the security it needs.

因此，以色列并不控制美国，但它在影响美国政策方面非常有效。美国正在组织中东局势，是主导者的一方；在许多问题上，美国与以色列持有相同的政策，然而这不应被视为美国为了以色列而放弃自身利益。美国对以色列政府的支持，与它对世界其他地区盟友的支持一样，并非出于客观的安全需要，也不是出于对该国的强烈道义承诺。相反，与其他地区一样，美国的外交政策主要是为了推进其自身所认定的战略利益。

Hence Israel does not control the US but has been very efficient in influencing US policy. The US is organising the Middle East. It is the one that dictates, and on many issues the US and Israel have the same policy, however this should not been seen as the US abandoning its interests for Israel. US support for the Israeli government, like US support for its allies elsewhere in the world, is not motivated by objective security needs or a strong moral commitment to the country. Rather, as elsewhere, US foreign policy is motivated primarily to advance its own perceived strategic interests.