City in the West Bank, cradle of Christian heritage, and a flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
A Jordan-hosted emergency meeting convenes to address escalating tensions around Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa and Christian holy sites. Arab ministers warn of potential regional instability as Israeli actions provoke protests and international scrutiny ahead of October elections.
The articles report on Israeli plans to create a 'Samaria' national park on land in the Sebastia area, amid land expropriation and UNESCO involvement. Landowners face expropriation without payment, while restoration and excavations proceed. UNESCO has added Sebastia to its Danger List, highlighting cultural and political stakes.
Residents in Masafer Yatta and West Bank villages have reported repeated settler attacks, property damage and soldiers escorting or standing by during incidents. Witnesses have described settlers grazing livestock in homes' gardens, arson, and assaults near mosques. Humanitarian groups have recorded high demolition and displacement rates since October 2023.
Palestinian nurses have been wounded in Sa’ir as armed settlers attack al-Uddeissa and other villages in the Hebron area. The violence marks a broader surge in West Bank attacks this year, with health workers facing ongoing threats as Israeli forces respond.
West Ham has said it is aware that some travelling supporters sang an anti‑Palestine chant about new signing Manor Solomon during the 2-2 draw at Burnley. The club has appealed for supporters not to repeat the song ahead of its first home Championship match and stressed it will not tolerate discrimination at matches.
The Times of Israel, BBC Business, France 24 and Bloomberg report that Israel has opened tenders for about 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 corridor, east of Jerusalem. The move draws international condemnation and raises concerns about a two-state solution. France, Germany, Italy and the UK join in urging reconsideration, while the EU and UN caution on the broader implications for regional stability.
The NYT reports a recent meeting between Jared Kushner and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York discusses housing, immigration and affordability as Democrats eye potential gains in November. Jeffries says the affordability crisis is not a hoax and Democrats will deliver transformational change, while Republicans push back and warn against overreaching. If Democrats win, they plan a robust oversight agenda.
Israeli rights activists aiding Palestinians in Jannatah near Bethlehem have faced violence as settlers target solidarity efforts. Journalists accompanying the group have reported injuries, property damage, and intimidation as outposts are dismantled and rebuilt amid ongoing tension ahead of elections.
Israel’s ministers have signalled plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza, while distant allies condemn the approach. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and others warn of grave consequences as the United States denies backing such displacement. The issue has intensified debate over Gaza’s future and the path to peace.
Two Palestinian teenagers have been shot dead during a settler operation near Ramallah and a 33-year-old Palestinian has been killed by Israeli police in Jerusalem. Israeli authorities say forces fired at "instigators" and a border guard "neutralised" a suspected attacker; Palestinian witnesses and local agencies report settlers and soldiers attacked villages and blocked supplies.
B'Tselem reports describe a five-front strategy — violence, movement restrictions, economic strangulation, social destruction, and ethnic cleansing — aimed at dismantling Palestinian life in the West Bank, with a rise in checkpoints, land seizures, and unemployment since 2022 and the Gaza war of 2023.
Israeli and Palestinian sources have reported two deadly incidents in the occupied West Bank on 20 September 2026: a shooter opened fire at people at a spring near the Neve Tzuf settlement, killing an Israeli settler who later died in hospital; and Israeli forces have shot dead a driver who allegedly attempted a ramming attack near the Ganim settlement. Security forces have arrested a suspected shooter at a Ramallah hospital and have imposed closures and raids across multiple West Bank villages.
Birzeit University in the West Bank has been raided by Israeli forces, who demolished a memorial bearing the names of students killed in Israeli attacks. The raid followed earlier measurements of the monument and comes amid ongoing Israeli incursions into campuses in the occupied territories. The university notes this is part of a broader pattern and may escalate tensions around higher education.
A wave of attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank targets olive groves during the harvest, with dozens of incidents reported. Rabbis and officials are responding to a controversial ruling by Dov Lior that Palestinians’ olives may be harvested by Jews to demonstrate land ownership. The olive harvest season has intensified violence, with thousands of trees damaged and significant financial losses for farmers.
Masked Israeli settlers have attacked a diplomatic delegation visiting olive harvesters near Taybeh, pelting consular vehicles with stones, smashing a Belgian car window and assaulting a French mayor. The EU and several foreign ministries have called for accountability; Israeli authorities have opened investigations while the prime minister has questioned elements of the footage.
Volunteers and international rabbis have been detained by Israeli forces while harvesting olives near Nahalin, west of Bethlehem. Brad Lander, a Democratic congressional nominee from New York, has been released with a warning; dozens of other volunteers, including US, British and Canadian citizens, have remained in custody. Israeli authorities say the harvest lacked prior security coordination.
Israel faces a pivotal election since Hamas’s 2023 attacks, with Netanyahu’s Likud bloc opposed by Eisenkot’s Yashar-led alliance. Polls show a tight race, a fractured Knesset, and debates over security, settlements, and Arab-party leverage. Voters weigh wartime leadership, economic stability, and the path to a possible coalition.
Since Friday, Israeli forces have escalated a major operation in Hebron and across the West Bank, displacing thousands, sealing districts and barring Palestinian workers from most areas on Election Day. The raids have disrupted education, damaged livelihoods and drawn international concern over collective punishment and rights abuses.