Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if he stays in his position after elections next week, he will move to annex (Haaretz) the Jordan Valley, territory that runs from northern Israel to the Dead Sea and comprises nearly a third of the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu said he aimed to take advantage of the “unique” opportunity of U.S. support for the annexation of parts of the West Bank, and that a White House peace plan would be released soon after the vote. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said such a move will end all signed agreements (Reuters) with Israel. Netanyahu has underscored aggressive national security positions (NYT) ahead of the legislative election set for Tuesday, which was triggered when Netanyahu failed to form a coalition in April. Netanyahu’s main challenger is former defense official Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White coalition.

President Donald J. Trump said he fired National Security Advisor John Bolton, writing on Twitter that the two disagreed on many policy suggestions. Bolton opposed diplomacy (FP) with North Korea and Iran and a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan, while he pushed for regime change in Venezuela.

Beijing announced tariff exemptions (SCMP) for more than a dozen U.S. products ahead of a new round of trade talks between the countries. Critical agricultural items (WaPo) such as corn, soybeans, and pork were not included on the list of exempt products.

Japan: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed thirteen first-time ministers in a cabinet reshuffle (Kyodo), pledging to push ahead on his effort to amend Japan’s constitution.

See how much you know about Japan with this CFR quiz.

The countries’ prime ministers have inaugurated (Al Jazeera) South Asia’s first cross-country oil pipeline. Nepal imports all of its oil products from its southern neighbor.

Afghanistan: Government forces have retaken a district (TOLO) in the country’s northeast from the Taliban, the Defense Ministry said, after regaining control of two other nearby districts in the past week.

At least thirty-six people died in a stampede of Shiite pilgrims (WaPo) during a procession in the city of Karbala to mark the Ashura religious holiday, according to Iraq’s Health Ministry.

Increased attacks by Islamist militants have forced nearly three hundred thousand people (DW) to flee their homes, according to the United Nations, triple the number from early 2019. The International Committee of the Red Cross said 1.2 million people are at risk of famine and malnourishment.

CFR’s John Campbell looks at the familiar pattern of Islamist violence in Burkina Faso.

Eritrea: The nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists named Eritrea the world’s most censored country (VOA) as well as the worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ursula von der Leyen, president-elect of the EU’s executive arm, announced a team of commissioners (NYT) that includes a competition chief to oversee big tech, a director of a so-called European Green Deal, and a trade commissioner tasked with sanctioning countries (Politico) that block dispute resolution at the World Trade Organization. The commission will be the most gender-balanced in its history.

Spain: Talks between the country’s Socialists and the left-wing Podemos party broke down (FT), setting the stage for a general election unless Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez can gather enough support to form a government by September 23.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for dialogue (UN) to continue between the government and an opposition coalition, as well as for investigations into reports of murder and torture and media suppression.

A new report by the Global Commission on Adaptation, led by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bill Gates, and World Bank chief Kristalina Georgieva, calls for investing $1.8 trillion by 2030 in areas including agriculture and infrastructure to adapt to climate change.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at how different countries are approaching decarbonization.