The statement came after an unnamed senior administration official was quoted in the Jerusalem Post telling the Israeli government to suspend construction of new West Bank housing units approved since Trump’s inauguration. The White House thought this comment went too far and sought to dial it back with its statement while giving itself room to develop a more comprehensive policy on the Middle East.

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As our colleagues wrote, the message from the White House “marked a step away from what some Trump officials — and the president’s designated new ambassador to Israel — have said in favor of settlements. Trump’s first foreign call as president was to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he has been sharply critical of former president Barack Obama, whom he characterized as weak on Israel.”

IRAN SHOULD ‘BE THANKFUL,’ TRUMP SAYS

Trump is clearly not shy about conducting foreign affairs through his Twitter account. Early Thursday morning, he wrote: “Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the U.S. made with them!”

The message came after Iran conducted a ballistic missile test it insists is not covered by the nuclear accord it reached with the United States and other world powers.

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On Wednesday, Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn promised to hold Iran “accountable” for possibly violating U.N. restrictions on missile tests, our colleague wrote. A top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded by saying Trump was not the first “inexperienced person” to threaten Iran.

CONGRESS DOES DAMAGE CONTROL AFTER TRUMP-AUSTRALIA CALL

Does Australia need to be worried about its long-standing friendship with the United States? Not according to congressional leaders.

Top Republicans on Capitol Hill sought to reassure Australia after The Post broke details about a tense phone call between Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in which Trump badgered, bragged and abruptly hung up. Trump also tweeted late Wednesday that a U.S. agreement to accept refugees currently in camps in Australia was a “dumb deal.”

“I don’t think Australia should be worried about its relationship with our new president, or with our country, for that matter,” Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday.

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“Australia is one of America’s oldest friends and staunchest allies,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement after phoning Australia’s ambassador to the United States.

TECH LEADERS ESCALATE OPPOSITION TO TRAVEL BAN

If Trump thought last weekend’s protests against his travel ban were bad, wait until he confronts the opposition in Silicon Valley.

Tensions that began building last week increased substantially after a draft of what appeared to be a Trump administration executive order limiting workers on H-1B visas circulated widely in the technology world.

More than 115 Silicon Valley start-up founders and venture capitalists have signed a letter pleading with Trump to rescind his executive action. Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick left Trump’s economic council in protest. And Lyft, another ride-hailing company, pulled advertisements from Breitbart News. Companies are exploring legal action against the order, as well.

NORDSTROM DROPS IVANKA TRUMP’S LINE



If you want to buy Ivanka Trump’s merchandise, don’t look for it at Nordstrom.

The retailer is dropping the first daughter’s self-branded line of clothes, shoes and other products after a boycott campaign by the anti-Trump group “Grab Your Wallet.” The campaign began in October after news broke that Trump had bragged about groping women before a 2005 taping of “Access Hollywood.”

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Nordstrom, in a statement, said the brand was dropped due to poor sales.

OUTREACH TO CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS

Trump himself might not be especially religious, but just two weeks into his administration, he is weighing making big changes on behalf of people who feel the government impinges on their faith with some policies intended to protect gay, transgender and reproductive rights.

There are no immediate plans for a directive like this, but administration officials are considering a proposed executive order that would give religious individuals and organizations wide latitude, based on their beliefs, in denying services, employment and other benefits to others. A draft of the document specifically mentioned the need to protect certain views often held by conservative Christians, such as opposition to abortion, homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

There is one religious priority Trump made clear he supports on Thursday: At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, he said he wants to “totally destroy” a 63-year-old law barring churches with tax-exempt status from funding and participating in political campaigns. This comment is already receiving a thumbs-up from Republicans in Congress working to overturn the law.

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THE LATEST FROM CAPITOL HILL

In case you missed it, Senate Republicans suspended the rules of the Finance Committee on Wednesday to push Trump’s nominees for the treasury and health and human services departments toward confirmation as Democrats boycotted the process.

Then, on Thursday, Republicans did it again — this time, to advance the nomination of Scott Pruitt for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

There is now a backlog of 11 Trump nominees waiting for votes on the Senate floor, the next being Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for secretary of education, at 6:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday. Three other nominees are waiting for hearings, while one is waiting for a committee vote, according to our confirmation guide.

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Follow the author on Twitter @eliseviebeck.

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