PARIS – It is difficult not to be struck by the contrast between the “Asian”-like energy of Israel’s economy and civil society and the purely defensive nature of its approach to political change, both within and outside the country. A recent law bars Israeli citizens from supporting Western boycotts aimed at reversing the country’s settlement policies and at backing an independent Palestinian state.
发自巴黎——以色列给人的印象总带有某种强烈的反差：一方面是“亚洲式”生机勃勃的经济和公民社会，另一方面却是对政治改革发自本能的抵制，无论在国内外都是如此。该国最近还通过一项法律，禁止人民支持任何旨在推翻犹太人定居点政策或建立独立巴勒斯坦国的西方抗议行动。虽然以色列的富裕，活力和自信都如日中天，但其国际地位却也从未如此孤家寡人。