Israel still hasn't gotten a formal invitation to participate in the U.S.-led Bahrain conference, which will take place on June 25 and launch the economic part of the White House's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. The U.S. told Israel that it must first get more confirmations from Arab and Muslim countries, according to Israeli officials.
Why it matters: Israeli officials say the fact that Israel still hasn't gotten a formal invitation is a sign of difficulties the Bahrain conference faces as a result of Palestinian pressure on Arab and Muslim countries not to attend. The officials told me the U.S. is concerned by the fact that Egypt, Jordan and other Arab and Muslim countries haven't published statements on their intention to attend the conference.
The Washington Post and The Guardian websites appear to have been added to China's "Great Firewall" blacklist, blocking internet users from visiting two of the last English-language media outlets accessible from the mainland without a VPN, the Post reports.
The big picture: The Chinese government, which blocks more than 10,000 web domains, escalated its censorship efforts in the weeks leading up to the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, preventing WeChat users from using keywords or posting pictures related to the incident, the Post reports. It's not yet clear whether bans on the Post and other outlets that wrote stories about the anniversary will be permanent.
U.S. Ambassador David Friedman told the New York Times on Saturday that Israel has the right to annex some, but "unlikely all" of the Palestinian West Bank.
Why it matters: Friedman's proclamation comes less than a month from when White House adviser Jared Kushner is expected to reveal the economic details of his Middle East peace plan in Bahrain.
