But it was a recent statement to Congress by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that was especially shocking to Israelis. He expressed understanding for Iran’s desire to acquire nuclear weapons because, as he said, the Iranians are surrounded by nuclear powers such as Pakistan, India, Russia, and Israel.
不过令以色列人感到特别震惊的还要数美国国防部长罗伯特·盖茨于近期向国会所做的陈述。在这之中，盖茨表达了对伊朗获取核武器之愿的理解，之所以如此，按他的说法是因为伊朗人身处巴基斯坦、印度、俄罗斯和以色列等核大国的包围之中。