A group of Democratic senators today introduced a draft resolution opposing possible Israeli annexation of the West Bank and affirming U.S. support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why it matters: This is an attempt to deter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from putting his rhetoric on annexation into action. The resolution has no Republican backers and is unlikely to pass, but will nonetheless send a message to the Israeli government. It comes as the Trump administration prepares to launch its Middle East peace plan.
If Israel succeeds in its reported attempts to block the U.S. Senate from expressing support for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, the result could further destabilize the Middle East and endanger American interests across the region.
The big picture:Support for a two-state solution has been U.S. policy since the George W. Bush administration, as it could ensure Israel remains a Jewish-majority democracy while also providing justice for the Palestinians. This bipartisan consensus has broad political support among the American electorate.
Russian protest band Pussy Riot will be playing a concert in Alabama to benefit Planned Parenthood and the Yellowhammer Fund, which works to secure funding for women seeking an abortion throughout the state, the AP reports.
Why it matters: The most restrictive abortion laws in generations are currently spreading across America's red states, setting up what could be a precedent-smashing Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade. Alabama specifically has banned abortions at any stage of pregnancy, barring serious risk to the mother, and with no exceptions for rape or incest. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.
Israel is trying to prevent the Senate from passing a bipartisan resolution endorsing a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli officials and congressional staffers tell me.
Why it matters: The resolution could put pressure on the White House as it prepares to release its long-awaited peace plan.
China has invested heavily in soccer since President Xi Jinping, a huge fan, made it a national priority in 2015. First came the youth academies, then came the foreign coaches and now comes phase three: naturalizing foreign players.
Driving the news: 26-year-old Nico Yennaris, who grew up in London and played on the same Arsenal youth team as Harry Kane, just became the first foreign-born player to be called up to the Chinese national team.
A Russian fighter plane intercepted a U.S. Navy aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea 3 times over the course of 175 minutes on Tuesday, the U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement, calling the action "irresponsible."
What they're saying: The 6th Fleet said a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft was intercepted by a Russian air-defense fighter SU-35. It said the second interaction was unsafe because it passed at high speed "directly in front of the mission aircraft, which put our pilots and crew at risk. ... The U.S. aircraft was operating consistent with international law and did not provoke this Russian activity."
