Three things for January 30
1. Trump and Netanyahu reveal Middle East “Vision for Peace”
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a new Middle East peace initiative on Tuesday, which seeks to alleviate border tensions between Israel and Palestine.
The plan involves official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided” capitol and will allegedly “more than double the Palestinian territory.”
The plan also recognizes several “enclave communities,” which would be formally annexed into Israel. The sovereignty of these Israeli settlements has historically been a nonstarter for the Palestinians.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quick to reject the plan, saying “We rejected this deal from the start and our stance was correct.”
The BBC breaks down the plan in greater detail.
2. British Airways suspends flights to China
Amid the current novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, British Airways has suspended all flights to and from mainland China as a preventative measure.
The decision came after reports of a confirmed case of the virus on a TigerAir flight from Melbourne to Gold Coast, Australia on Monday.
“We apologize to customers for the inconvenience,” British Airways said in a statement. “But the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.”
3. Trump signs new trade agreement
Yesterday, Trump signed into law the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA), which was passed by the House in a vote of 385-41 and in the Senate by 89-10.
The USMCA will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), although the two agreements are mostly similar.
