DEAD SEA, West Bank: Palestinians are worried their restricted access to the salty waters of the Dead Sea and its mineral-rich beaches could be cut further if Israel annexes land in the occupied West Bank.
Israel, citing support from US President Donald Trump, has announced plans to extend sovereignty over parts of the West Bank — including the Jordan Valley, which partly borders the Dead Sea. Palestinians have voiced outrage at the proposal.
The Dead Sea is a popular destination where bathers float in hypersaline waters and use the nutrient-rich mud on their skin. Its shores border Israel, Jordan and the West Bank.
“This place is a blessing for all Palestinians, but if there will be annexation it will be hard for them to reach here. They may need permits,” said Musa Farah, a lifeguard at one of the small, Israeli-run resorts that dot the Dead Sea’s West Bank coast.
Even some owners of Israeli resorts — set up after Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war — are concerned they could lose customers under the annexation plan.
“My business will be very much affected,” said Dina Dagan, owner of the Biankini Village Resort. “The Israeli government should know that my business depends on the Palestinians who visit here. This place is open for Jews and Arabs.”
During peace talks — stalled since 2014 — the Palestinians have sought to gain some control over part of the Dead Sea coastline and set up resorts, which they see as a potential boon for their economy.
The Palestinians have long sought a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Most countries view Israeli settlements in occupied territory as illegal. Israel rejects this.
Palestinians fear Israeli annexation could further limit Dead Sea access
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Palestinians fear Israeli annexation could further limit Dead Sea access
- Israel announced plans to extend sovereignty over parts of the West Bank
- Palestinians have voiced outrage at the proposal
US launches new retaliatory strikes against Daesh in Syria after deadly ambush
- CENTCOM said operation ordered by President Donald Trump
- Launched in response to the deadly Dec. 13 Daesh attack in Palmyra
WASHINGTON: The US has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Daesh in Syria following last month’s ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country.
The large-scale strikes, conducted by the US alongside partner forces, occurred around 12:30 p.m. ET, according to US Central Command. The strikes hit multiple Daesh targets across Syria.
Saturday’s strikes are part of a broader operation that is part of President Donald Trump’s response to the deadly Daesh attack that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, the civilian interpreter, in Palmyra last month.
“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” US Central Command said in a statement Saturday.
A day earlier, Syrian officials said their security forces had arrested the military leader of Daesh’s operations in the Levant.
The US military said Saturday’s strikes were carried out alongside partner forces without specifying which forces had taken part.
The Trump administration is calling the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. Both Torres-Tovar and Howard were members of the Iowa National Guard.
It launched Dec. 19 with another large-scale strike that hit 70 targets across central Syria that had Daesh infrastructure and weapons.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has for years been the US’s main partner in the fight against Daesh in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, Washington has increasingly been coordinating with the central government in Damascus.
Syria recently joined the global coalition against Daesh.
