A key segment of the Jordan Rift Valley, spanning the lower Jordan River to the Dead Sea
Multiple reports confirm that Israeli officials have advanced plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, including thousands of new homes and infrastructure. The push is led by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and could reshape settlement footprint, raising tensions with Palestinians and drawing international condemnation.
Palestinian residents report a surge in settler violence across the West Bank, with multiple incidents including arson, property seizure, and clashes with Israeli forces. Reports indicate ongoing attacks are linked to broader settlement activity, with no immediate arrests in some cases and sporadic detentions in others.
Lebanese Christian village leaders have rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that some southern Lebanon villages asked to be annexed by Israel. They say the claim is false and aimed at inflaming sectarian tensions. Officials emphasise safety, dignity and loyalty to Lebanon amid ongoing Israel-Hezbollah hostilities.
In Umm al-Khair and across Masafer Yatta, Israeli settler expansion has accelerated, with land levelling, demolitions, and violence escalating. Awdah Hathaleen’s killing a year ago underscores a wider pattern of displacement and impunity, as settlements expand under military backing and legal restraint remains scarce.