Israel's 2.6 million pupils returned to school on Monday under a cloud of instability, with fresh violence reported in the West Bank and political jockeying dominating the domestic agenda. Meanwhile, the government's advance of the E1 settlement plan has drawn renewed international condemnation.

Security

A mosque was set alight overnight near Nablus in what Palestinians say was an arson attack in the village of al-Bazaria, with graffiti sprayed on the building threatening the US ambassador to Israel, a Kann News correspondent, and Israeli security forces. Separately, police arrested eight suspects aged 16 to 20 over a spate of arson attacks and assaults in the South Hebron Hills. The violence forms part of a wider pattern in the West Bank, where Israeli settlers have repeatedly entered the Palestinian village of Kusra in Area B at weekends, attacking residents. Despite condemnations from the prime minister and a heightened alert declared by the IDF chief of staff, the incidents have continued without arrests, raising questions over enforcement. In a separate incident, a bus driver in Jerusalem was beaten unconscious after refusing to let a passenger disembark at an illegal stop; he managed to pull the handbrake before losing consciousness, averting a potential catastrophe. A resident of Beitar Illit has been arrested, amid a reported 13 percent rise in violence against bus drivers last month. Police also revealed new details of a kidnapping attempt in Petah Tikva, in which a 10-year-old boy was abducted by a 20-year-old man from Jerusalem and taken by bus towards Bnei Brak; the child was located roughly six hours after being reported missing, with his mother describing how the abductor had manipulated him.

Politics

The government has begun advancing the long-delayed E1 construction project east of Jerusalem, a move critics say would effectively bisect the West Bank and deal a fatal blow to the prospect of a Palestinian state. The plan has already drawn threats of sanctions from foreign governments, reigniting debate over Israel's settlement policy ahead of elections. In party politics, Likud MK Tali Gottlieb said she would have considered leaving the party over her low list placement, accusing the prime minister's inner circle of deliberately sidelining her, a claim Likud dismissed as false. Sara Netanyahu drew controversy after suggesting, without evidence, that opposition figure Yair Golan had advance knowledge of the 7 October attack, a claim the Democrats party called deranged. Former deputy minister Yoav Segalovich, a former police commissioner, joined the Ra'am party's list, becoming the first Jewish candidate to run for the Arab-majority party, in a move hailed by some as a bridge-building gesture ahead of a bitterly polarised campaign. Meanwhile, Yesh Atid MK Miki Levi announced he will not seek re-election, following fellow MK Meir Cohen's earlier departure. In Jerusalem, police will secure a secular school in the Kiryat Yovel neighbourhood for the first day of term after ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered at the site, covering windows with anti-conscription slogans and throwing paint at the entrance.

International

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump following prolonged tensions with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who reportedly forced out a close Driscoll ally; his deputy is also expected to depart within the week.

Other Developments

Israel's 2.6 million schoolchildren returned to classrooms on Monday, including 180,000 starting first grade, with communities near the Gaza border resuming lessons at home after roughly three years of displacement, and Metula's long-empty school reopening its doors. In a symbolic gesture, the Golani Brigade approved an exceptional arrangement allowing battalion commanders to accompany their own children to their first day of school before returning to operational duty.

Sources: Ynet