Geographic feature in the Jordan Rift Valley
The CST reports 1,926 antisemitic hate incidents in January–June 2026 in the UK, up 21% from the previous year. Attacks include stabbings in Golders Green and arson at synagogues; government pledges £250m to bolster Jewish community security. The rise follows global trends and the start of the Israel–Iran conflict’s international spillover.
Palestinian communities in the West Bank face escalating settlement activity, land seizures and displacement. New outposts are expanding, while a broader, systemic shift underlines the ongoing occupation and its impact on livelihoods and local governance.
A record summer of heat, drought and wildfires has prompted an emergency Cobra meeting and voluntary retailer suspensions of disposable-barbecue sales. Green groups have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to call the crisis 'climate change' and stop new North Sea drilling; Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has questioned net zero and urged adaptation and celebration of warmer weather.
Palestinian and Israeli sources report a sharp rise in West Bank violence. Dozens of settler attacks have targeted towns including Masafer Yatta, Jenin, Qusra and Hebron, with Palestinians injured, property damaged and several homes besieged. The violence coincides with increased Israeli military operations and ongoing clashes.
The U.S. ambassador has highlighted security responsibilities for Palestinians in the West Bank as settler violence surges, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intensifying amid Israeli government activity in the occupied territories.
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.
Palestinian communities face encroachment as Israeli settlers, backed by a hard‑line government, move to seize springs and designate heritage sites. Water diversions near Fasayil contribute to a new “Herod’s Pool,” while funding for archaeology signals a broader push to consolidate control over land and memory in the West Bank.
Underwater excavations near Kekova Island have recovered ceramic amphorae dating to 4,400–4,700 years ago. The vessels indicate Mediterranean trade networks linking the Levant, Egypt, Crete and beyond. One amphora bears markings suggesting it was used to churn dairy products. The site provides a rare window into Early Bronze Age seafaring.