Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday his intention to promote annexation steps in the occupied West Bank, including the Jordan Valley and areas north of the Dead Sea, if he wins next week's elections.
Why it matters: Netanyahu had already spoken about annexation before Israel's elections last April, but he didn’t commit or promise anything. Netanyahu’s statement is directed at his right-wing base and the settler lobby in order to boost support for his Likud party over other right-wing parties, ensuring that Likud wins most seats in the elections to gain an upper hand in building a coalition.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff say North Korea has fired 2 unidentified projectiles into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reports.
Why it matters: The launch came hours after Pyongyang offered to resume nuclear talks with the U.S. This is the 10th such launch since May, in what appears to be yet another demonstration of North Korea expanding its weapons arsenal apparently with the intention of increasing leverage ahead of possible negotiations with the U.S.
On the U.K. Parliament's last night before beginning a month-long suspension, Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed for the 2nd time to earn the two-thirds majority necessary to call a snap general election.
Why it matters: Johnson was hoping to use an election to circumvent a law passed by Parliament last week that will require him to seek a Brexit extension rather than crash out of the EU without a deal on Oct. 31. The prime minister has said he would rather be "dead in a ditch" than seek an extension, but he now appears to be left with little other choice outside of breaking the law.
In a statement to the press Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed what he claimed was a covert nuclear weapons development site near the city of Abadeh, Iran, that was demolished in July after the Iranians realized it was compromised.
Why it matters: Netanyahu made his statement the same day that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors convened in Vienna to discuss the Iranian nuclear program and Iran's attempts to block access and information from UN atomic inspectors. Netanyahu’s statement also comes 8 days before the Israeli elections, allowing him to again highlight the threat posed by Iran and emphasize a message that has been core to his re-election campaign.
Thousands of students formed human chains outside schools across Hong Kong Monday in solidarity with pro-democracy protesters, as the city's government issued a warning to the U.S. to keep out of its affairs, AP reports.
The big picture: The students' silent protest took place a day after violent clashes between police and activists in the semiautonomous Chinese territory following a peaceful march to the U.S. Consulate, where thousands of protesters called on President Trump to "liberate" the former British colony and for Congress to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, per AP.
