Visits: 5
Mr. Trump’s announcement on Twitter came after persistent pressure from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, an ally who is fighting for his political life with an election scheduled for next month. While popular in Israel and among some U.S. lawmakers, Mr. Trump’s decision is likely to be condemned almost everywhere else.
Catch up: The United Nations has rejected Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights since 1967, when Israeli troops seized the 400 square miles from Syria during the Arab-Israeli War. Here’s a brief history of the dispute.
What’s next: Practically speaking, Mr. Trump’s announcement doesn’t change much, as the status of the Golan Heights is not under negotiation, and there’s no expectation that Israel will withdraw. But symbolically, the decision shakes up a debate that has changed little since the 1970s.
The E.U. approves a Brexit delay
European Union officials agreed on Thursday to extend the deadline for Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc until May 22, as long as Prime Minister Theresa May can persuade Parliament to accept her plan for doing so. If she can’t — and lawmakers have already rejected her proposal twice — the deadline would be moved up to April 12.
The agreement effectively averted a disorderly and chaotic departure at the end of next week, yet such a break remains a possibility.
What’s next: Neither side wants Britain to leave without a deal. European Union officials said they remained open to a longer delay but that it would require Britain to participate in European Parliament elections — something that Mrs. May has said would be an absurdity.
Honoring the dead in New Zealand
A week after the terrorist attack on two mosques that left 50 people dead, mourners from around the world gathered in Christchurch, New Zealand, today to share the Muslim call to prayer and two minutes of silence.
“This terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology that has torn the world apart — but instead we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable,” said Imam Gamal Fouda of Al Noor Mosque, one of the two attacked.
Related: In addition to announcing a ban on the type of weapons used in the shooting, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has pledged to hold social media companies accountable for letting hateful speech thrive on their platforms. As of Thursday, at least two people have been charged in New Zealand with spreading the killer’s video of part of the attack.
The Daily: Today’s episode is about the speed with which New Zealand planned changes to its gun laws after the attack.
Indonesia seeks to cancel Boeing order
The country’s national airline said today that it had asked to cancel an order of 737 Max 8 jets. It is the first publicly confirmed attempt to stop a deal since the planes were involved in two deadly crashes.
A spokesman for the carrier, Garuda Indonesia, said that its passengers had lost confidence in the model. But he acknowledged that it would be difficult to cancel a signed agreement.
Garuda’s deal was for 49 planes, and estimated to be worth $4.9 billion. A Boeing spokesman declined to comment.
Another angle: Relatives of those killed when another airline’s Max 8 crashed in Indonesia say the airline tried to buy their silence with a deal that would also protect Boeing.
If you have 17 minutes, this is worth it
Spies for any budget
Small countries, corporations and wealthy individuals have a new weapon at their disposal: privatized spying through companies that hire former intelligence operatives.
A monthslong Times investigation found that the firms have enabled governments to hack not only terrorist groups and drug cartels, but also activists and journalists. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has used the Israeli firm NSO, pictured above, to track dissidents.
Here’s what else is happening
U.S. casualties in Afghanistan: Two U.S. service members were killed in northern Afghanistan today, bringing to four the American combat deaths in the country this year, Afghan and American officials said.
Cyclone’s aftermath: As floodwaters receded in Mozambique, people with very little before the storm found that they had even less. Here’s information about how to help people in southern Africa.
U.S. flood warning: Nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states will have an elevated risk of flooding until May, federal scientists have said. The Midwest has already confronted record-breaking late-winter floods.
Deadly blast in China: An explosion that killed at least 47 people at a chemical factory has raised fears of poisons spreading in the air and water.
Free speech on campus: President Trump has signed an executive order that links some higher education funds to how colleges enforce speech rights, a move endorsed by conservatives who say their voices have been silenced.
Perspective: In an Op-Ed, James Comey, the former F.B.I. director, discusses what he would like to see in the special counsel’s report.
What we’re reading: This essay in The New Yorker. Alisha Haridasani Gupta, a member of the briefings team, says: “Emilia Clarke plays Daenerys Targaryen, one of the strongest, most compelling characters in the ‘Game of Thrones’ series. Here, she reveals how through most of that era, she was struggling offscreen with near-death experiences from two aneurysms.”
Now, a break from the news
And now for the Back Story on …
A literal, and metaphorical, test
What do lichens and politics have in common?
As you may remember from chemistry class, a litmus test determines a solution’s relative acidity. But the phrase is also used metaphorically to refer to a character-defining political issue, and it has been popping up in coverage of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The chemical test, in use since the Middle Ages, employs a dye derived from lichens to determine whether a solution is more acidic or alkaline.
The political application of the phrase appeared in The Times at least as early as 1950, when it described NATO and the Marshall Plan as “the litmus test for distinguishing between Communists and supporters of the United States.”
This year, “litmus test” has appeared in The Times to refer to marijuana legalization, the proposed border wall and universal health care.
This week is the Times Magazine’s special Voyages Issue, featuring the travel guru Rick Steves, who wants to set you free.
Enjoy the weekend. See you next time.
— Chris
Thank you
To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford, James K. Williamson and John Dorman for the break from the news. Chris himself wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [email protected].
P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about New Zealand’s weapons ban.
• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: Lead-in to X, Y or Z (3 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Frank Sinatra was a lifelong fan of The Times crossword puzzle and became a pen pal of our third puzzle editor, Eugene T. Maleska.