A special envoy from the Israeli Foreign Ministry held a secret meeting in Istanbul with Sudanese officials a year ago as part of an attempt to renew the dialogue between the two countries, a source briefed on the meeting told me.
Why it matters: There has been deep hostility between the two countries over the last several decades, though Sudan is not officially designated in Israel as an enemy state. Israel is the only country in the world that Sudan does not allow its citizens to visit legally. Sudan used to host Hamas' headquarters and was an ally of Iran, but since 2014 it has started to distance itself from Tehran and pivot toward Saudi Arabia. In response, Israel began in 2016 to quietly lobby the U.S. and EU members to boost economic aid to Sudan.
The Ukraine crisis presents an important new test for President Trump.
The big question: Will Trump say anything about Russia taking its aggression even further? Or will he normalize this rogue behavior? The pressure from the national security establishment will be to call out Russia, while Trump's own instincts tend to favor Putin.
Much of Ukraine is now under martial law a day after Russia intercepted, fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off of Crimea, wounding at least six sailors in the process.
Why it matters: “This is a new, more dangerous form of aggression,” says John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine now at the Atlantic Council. “In the light of day, Moscow demonstrated that it will attack Ukraine with its conventional forces.” Absent U.S. and European pushback that turns “a Kremlin tactical victory into a strategic defeat,” he says, further aggression is likely.
Seven-in-ten Americans say the U.S.-German relationship is "good," according to a new Pew poll. Just 24% of Germans agree, and 72% say they want more independence from the U.S. when it comes to foreign policy.
By the numbers: Similarly, while 70% of Americans say the U.S. should cooperate more with Germany, just 41% of Germans would like to see more cooperation with the U.S. Meanwhile, a whopping 69% would like to see Germany cooperate more with Russia, and 67% with China.
With U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May working desperately to sell her Brexit deal to a skeptical Parliament, President Trump slammed it today as "a great deal for the EU" that could keep the U.K. from securing a trade deal with the U.S.
Why it matters: Trump is unpopular in the U.K., but his comments could deepen what, from May's perspective, is an unwelcome debate over the U.K.'s ability to negotiate trade deals under her plan. Her deal won the approval of all 27 EU leaders over the weekend, but it doesn't currently appear to have enough votes to pass through the House of Commons.
Ukraine's parliament has voted to impose martial law for 30 days in regions of the country under threat from "Russian aggression," giving its government broad military power over its citizens in those areas in response to an escalation of tensions with Russia near Crimea.
The big picture: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had originally proposed martial law for 60 days across the whole of the country, causing skepticism from his political opponents as he faces plunging approval ratings, per the AP. Poroshenko's proposal also could have meant the delay of the nation's presidential election in March, but the parliament's decision ensures that the election will take place as scheduled.
The Trump administration has promised Israel it will put pressure on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to examine revelations from Israel about Iran's nuclear program, State Department officials told me.
Why it matters: As part of the Iran nuclear deal, the IAEA closed its investigation into the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, and the Iranians have never fully disclosed their past efforts to develop nuclear weapons. In an attempt to reopen the investigation, Israel publicly reveled the Iranian nuclear archives captured by Israeli intelligence in Tehran. The archives showed Iran was working until 2003 on building at least five nuclear warheads. In his address to the UN in September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also revealed a warehouse allegedly used to store undeclared parts from Iran's nuclear program.
A Russian coast guard vessel rammed a Ukrainian tugboat in the Sea of Azov Sunday, Nov. 25, setting off a series of increasingly dangerous escalations. Russia blocked the Kerch Strait — the narrow passageway connecting the Sea of Azov to the much larger Black Sea — and detained three Ukrainian vessels and 23 sailors. On Monday, Ukraine’s government imposed short-term martial law.
Why it matters: This weekend's attack opened a new front in Russia’s four-year aggression against Ukraine, which includes the ongoing land war in Ukraine's east and the occupation of Crimea.
Outgoing UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has condemned Russia's decision to intercept, fire on and seize three Ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of Crimea yesterday as "arrogant" and an "outlaw act" that shows better relations between the U.S. and Russia are "impossible."
Why it matters: Prior to Haley's remarks at an emergency UN Security Council session, the Trump administration had been almost entirely silent on the incident. John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine now at the Atlantic Council, says if this "new, more dangerous form of aggression" goes unanswered, further Russian provocation is likely. Potential U.S. responses could include sanctions, or supplying Ukraine with additional weaponry.
Jack Ma, the c0-founder and executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba, was identified by the People's Daily, China's state-run media outlet, as a member of the Communist Party. His name appeared on a list honoring people working to modernize the Chinese economy, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The backdrop: Ma has long kept a distance from Chinese politics. He once said companies' relationship with Beijing should be, "Love them, don’t marry them." But as the Communist Party gains influence under President Xi Jinping, it is seeking to publicly link itself to China's most powerful names.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said in a rare statement today that President Trump will release his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan at a time that will allow its best chance for success.
Why it matters: Friedman confirmed my story from last week about a high-level meeting Trump held with his White House "peace team" to discuss the contents of the peace plan and the timing for its release. Trump said in late September that he wanted to publish the long-awaited plan between December and February.
