A lower Jordan River valley, part of the Jordan Rift Valley, spanning Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.
UK universities are facing a rising wave of antisemitic incidents, with students reporting hostility and a perceived culture of antisemitism. A 2026 Union of Jewish Students report calls for enforceable standards, while Universities UK says campuses are strengthening support and reporting mechanisms. Cardiff University apologises for unsafe conditions on campus and reiterates a zero-tolerance stance while noting robust procedures.
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.
A group of ORT Ma’alot students and teachers on a hiking trip near the Lebanese border has been struck by an unexploded ordnance believed to be a Hezbollah cluster submunition. One 14-year-old student has died and about two dozen more are injured. Investigations focus on the route approval, UNACCESSIBLE warning signs, and the handling of ordnance near a military frontier.
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.
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.