Israel's political and security agenda is dominated this morning by the advancement of the E1 settlement project, alongside a mosque arson attack and continued settler violence in the West Bank. On the home front, millions of children returned to classrooms for the new school year, even as political manoeuvring ahead of elections intensifies.

Security

The government has moved forward with the long-delayed E1 construction project east of Jerusalem, a 12-square-kilometre development that would effectively bisect the West Bank and is widely seen as dealing a fatal blow to the viability of a future Palestinian state. The move has drawn international condemnation, with some countries already threatening sanctions, while Palestinian residents of nearby Abu Dis warn it would strip them of any remaining hope for statehood. Separately, a mosque near Nablus was set alight in the village of Bazariya, with graffiti threatening the US ambassador and a Kan news correspondent found daubed on its walls; police have arrested eight suspects, aged 16 to 20, over related arson and assault incidents in the southern Hebron hills. In the village of Kosra, in Area B, Jewish assailants have repeatedly targeted Palestinian residents over recent weekends despite the prime minister's condemnations and a heightened IDF alert, with no arrests made so far, raising questions about the military's response. In Jerusalem, a bus driver was severely beaten after refusing to stop illegally to let a passenger off, an incident reflecting a reported 13 percent rise in violence against drivers in August.

Politics

Sara Netanyahu has drawn scrutiny after suggesting opposition leader Yair Golan had prior knowledge of the 7 October attack, a claim the Democrats have dismissed as bordering on the absurd; commentators say the episode reveals the extent to which the prime minister's wife has embraced conspiratorial narratives. Likud MK Tali Gottlieb has openly criticised the party leadership after being placed in the unrealistic 20th slot on the list, saying she considered leaving Likud and accusing Netanyahu's inner circle of deliberately sidelining her; the party has rejected her account as false. Education Minister Yoav Kish, newly elevated within Likud's leadership, warned against vote-splitting on the right and laid out campaign pledges including smaller class sizes and expanded use of AI in schools, while acknowledging teacher shortages remain concentrated in central Israel. In Jerusalem, police were deployed to secure a secular school in Kiryat Yovel for the first day of term after ultra-Orthodox protesters vandalised the site, covered windows in anti-conscription slogans and threw paint at the entrance.

International

US Vice President JD Vance sought to reassure American Jewish leaders at a closed-door address to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, though reactions were mixed, with some describing his stance on Israel as ambivalent and warning that continued association with commentator Tucker Carlson could become problematic. In Nepal, rescue efforts continue nearly a week after devastating floods killed more than 1,000 people, with roughly 4,500 still missing near the Tibetan border, including two Israelis; crews are racing to reach workers trapped in tunnels at power stations, with hopes resting on oxygen and water supplies delivered to survivors after the critical 72-hour window has passed.

Other Developments

The new school year began on 1 September for 2.6 million Israeli students, including 180,000 first-graders, marking a return to normalcy without the threat of strikes that has disrupted previous years. In Metula, the town's storied school reopened after standing empty, while communities in the Gaza-envelope region resumed studies at home for the first time in roughly three years following prolonged displacement. Golani Brigade commanders were granted special permission to accompany their children to their first day of school, a symbolic gesture reflecting the personal toll of ongoing combat operations.

Sources: Ynet