Diplomacy

An alert issued to MPs, peers and parliamentary staff by security services identified two LinkedIn profiles, which it says are used on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS). It says they act as "civilian recruitment head-hunters", targeting individuals working in British politics to solicit "insider insights". UK Security minister Dan Jarvis has said the government will not tolerate "covert and calculated" attempts to interfere with the UK's sovereign affairs, after MI5 warned MPs of the risk from Chinese spies. Jarvis announced a package of measures in the House of Commons to tackle espionage threats to the UK.

Unlike earlier drafts, the resolution references a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. It is language several council members pushed for. Israel strongly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state - a significant hurdle in the path to future statehood. Key Arab states had pressured drafters of the resolution to include Palestinian self-determination in the text. The UN secretary general's spokesperson stressed that the resolution needed to "translate... into concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground" and lead to "a political process for the achievement of the two-state solution". The US, the Palestinian Authority, and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have called for the quick adoption of the resolution. The Palestinian Authority (PA) said in a statement that the resolution's terms needed to be implemented "urgently and immediately". Russia and China did not exercise the vetoes they possess, but abstained to allow the resolution to pass, largely because the PA and eight other Arab and Muslim nations backed it.