NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to TWENTY-plus reports, commentaries, analyses and interviews (more than 30): from Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Le Monde, the Jerusalem Post, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, Reuters, National Public Radio, ScheerPost, and El País; others are accessible by clickng on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-12-26 and today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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Day 14 of U.S.-Israel attacks, by Elizabeth Melimopoulos of Al Jazeera and news agencies. A summary. Click HERE to read, and HERE for Iran war video reports.

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Blast rocks Tehran after Israel threatened to target area where pro-government rally was being held, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Sally Aljoud  | AP  DUBAI — A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered today for the annual state-organized Quds Day to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had earlier warned . . . READ MORE . . .

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Air raid sirens in Tel Aviv after warning Iranian missiles fired. From AFP. Several blasts have been heard after air raid sirens sounded in Israel’s commercial hub, Tel Aviv, AFP journalists report, following a warning from the military that missiles had been fired from Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report in French from Le Monde, and HERE and HERE for others in English and French. Click HERE and HERE for headlines of some AFP / AFP reports in English and French.

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Intact warhead likely hit Zarzir despite successful interception, IDF says, by Yonah Jeremy Bob, and Aaron Glick | The Jerusalem Post  The ballistic missile impact on the northern Israeli community of Zarzir is believed to have been caused by the warhead remaining intact despite a successful interception, the IDF stated today. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  U.S. confirms four troops killed in crash as Iraqi resistance claims downing of aircraft.  From the Cradle. U.S. CENTCOM confirmed in a statement today the deaths of four servicemembers whose refueling aircraft went down over Iraq Thursday night, after the Iraqi resistance announced that its forces struck the plane down. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Dubai financial hub hit by intercepted drone after Iran threatens banks. From Middle East Eye. The Dubai International Financial Centre has been damaged after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone attack caused a fire. Footage shared on social media this morning showed a thick plume of smoke rising from a building in the financial zone of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 12  UAE says it intercepted 278 missile and 1,540 drones since start of Iranian attacks. From Middle East Monitor. The United Arab Emirates said Thursday that air defenses engaged 278 ballistic missiles, 1,540 drones, and 15 cruise missiles since the outset of Iranian attacks late last month, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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CNN correspondent shares his takeaways from his recent visit to Iran. Steve Inskeep of NPR asks CNN’s Fred Pleitgen about what he learned during his reporting trip to Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for links to all nine reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition” program.

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FROM MARCH 12  U.S. military refueling plane crashes in Iraq and rescue is underway, by Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin | AP  WASHINGTON — An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, U.S. Central Command said Thursday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MARCH 12  Theft of  ‘AI-powered drones’ from U.S. army base sparks fears of potential false flag attack. From the Cradle. U.S. Army investigators are offering a reward of up to $5,000 after four military drones were stolen last year, stoking fears they could be used in a false flag attack on U.S. soil. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 12  Iran-linked hackers take aim at U.S. and other targets, raising risk of cyberattacks during war, by David Klepper | AP  WASHINGTON — Pro-Iranian hackers are targeting sites in the Middle East and starting to stretch into the United States during the war, raising the risk of American defense contractors, power stations and water plants being swept into a wave of digital chaos that could expand if Tehran’s allies join the fray. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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With Iran war exit elusive, U.S. President Donald Trump’s aides vie to affect outcome. From Reuters. A complex tug-of-war inside the White House is driving U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting public statements on the course of the Iran war, as aides debate when and how to declare victory even as the conflict spreads across the Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 12  Khameni’s killing raises old questions about U.S. assassinating foreign leaders. Reported by Ryan Lucas | NPR  The killing of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei raises questions about whether the U.S. as a democracy should be in the business of assassinating foreign leaders. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for all seven Iran war-related reports Thursday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. Click HERE for report today from NPR.

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Iraq is caught in the crossfire of the Iran war, with attacks by both sides on its soil, by Samya Kullab | AP  IRBIL, Iraq — Iraq is getting caught in the crossfire of the Iran war as the only country facing strikes from both sides, and that threatens to drag the nation that has so far avoided two years of regional turmoil into a full-blown crisis. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 12  A war spreading faster than diplomacy. From ScheerPost. A summary of developments. Click HERE to read.

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Iran war is one ‘TACO’ too far, by Jamie McGeever | Reuters  The “Trump always chickens out” investment strategy, buying beaten-down stocks on the assumption that the U.S. president will ultimately back down from his more extreme policies, has, for the most part, been a profitable one. READ MORE . . .

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Military victory, political stalemate: The U.S.’s strategic myopia in the Middle East, by Piotr Smolar | Le Monde  WASHINGTON — Jake Sullivan was still national security adviser to Joe Biden at the end of September 2023 when he made what would become a famous remark: “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades.” READ MORE . . .

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Iran challenges the powerful U.S. Navy in an asymmetric naval battle in the Gulf, by Oscár Gutiérrez | El País  MADRID — The largest U.S. naval deployment since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has decimated the Iranian navy. Washington has sent . . . Click HERE for report including some video, and HERE for same El País report in Spanish. 

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Links to THREE reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-11-26 and WEST BANK, GAZA, IRAN and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Israel commits massacre against displaced civilians on Beirut beachfront. From the Cradle. The Israeli army committed a massacre in the heart of Beirut early today, targeting a group of displaced Lebanese civilians with a drone and killing eight in the Ramlet al-Bayda beach area. Click HERE for report including video, and HERE for a March 11 video report from AP.

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Israeli settler violence rises in West Bank under Iran war curbs.  From Reuters. Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are taking advantage of curbs on movement imposed during the war on Iran to attack Palestinians, with military roadblocks preventing ambulances reaching victims quickly, rights groups and medics say. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

First, links to a report and commentary from Middle East Monitor; other published material is accessible by clickng on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 3-11-26, and up or down for LEBANON, GAZA, IRAN and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Settler attacks escalate in West Bank during Israel’s aggression against Iran. From Middle East Monitor.  Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have increased, as settlers exploit movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli army since the start of its offensive against Iran, according to reports. At least five Palestinians have been killed in recent days. READ MORE . . .

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Why Palestine is the Middle East’s only way out, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Let us imagine a liberated Palestine. Let us consider how justice for the Palestinian people would reshape not only the region but, indeed, the entire globe. This is not a conversation about a “political solution” in the narrow, bureaucratic sense. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

A link to commentary from Middle East Monitor; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-26-26, and up or down for LEBANON, WEST BANK, IRAN and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Why Palestine is the Middle East’s only way out, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Let us imagine a liberated Palestine. Let us consider how justice for the Palestinian people would reshape not only the region but, indeed, the entire globe. This is not a conversation about a “political solution” in the narrow, bureaucratic sense. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THIRTEEN-plus reports, commentary, analyses and interviews (23 or more) from the Jerusalem Post, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Arab Times, Consortium News, Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, Geopolitical Economy Report, and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-11-26, and up or down for LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Iran’s secretive top leader vows to keep up attacks in his first statement since being appointed, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising, Mike Corder and Natalie Melzer | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s secretive new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, today vowed to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Regional countries hold behind-the-scenes talks with Iranian officials, push for dialogue with U.S., by Amichai Stein | The Jerusalem Post  Senior officials from Oman, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey are holding behind-the-scenes talks with senior Iranian officials in an attempt to initiate dialogue with the Trump administration toward a deal, or even a ceasefire, a source familiar with the details told the Jerusalem Post. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s unrelenting attacks on Mideast shipping and energy infrastructure send oil prices up again, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Natalie Melzer | AP  DUBAI —  The attacks in the Persian Gulf pushed oil back above $100 a barrel today, as American and Israeli strikes pounded the Islamic Republic with no sign of an end to the war in sight. Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to . . . READ MORE . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Iran effectively closes Strait of Hormuz as U.S.-Israel strikes continue. Reported by Greg Myre and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. and Israel continue airstrikes in the country, triggering what’s being described as the “largest oil disruption in history.” Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for all eight Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition” program.

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Iran ‘not in danger of collapse’, say U.S. intelligence sources: report. From Middle East Eye. U.S. intelligence reports suggest that Iran’s leadership retains control of the country, several sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MARCH 11  UN resolution labels Iranian attacks on Gulf states a threat to international peace. From Arab Times. UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly condemned Iran’s recent missile and drone attacks on multiple Gulf countries, adopting a resolution with a 13-0 vote. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Consortium News. (Both reports have video of session.) 

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FROM MARCH 11  Iran targets busiest international airport as top UN body demands halt to attacks on Gulf neighbors, by Jon Gambrell, Sally Abou Aljoud and Lisa Mascaro | AP  DUBAI — Iran targeted the world’s busiest international airport Wednesday and attacked commercial ships as U.S. and Israeli strikes rocked Tehran, while the United Nations’ most powerful body demanded a halt to the Islamic Republic’s strikes on its Gulf neighbors that threaten global oil supplies. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MARCH 11  Countries agree to a historic release of stockpiled oil to ease global disruption. Reported by Camila Domonoske | NPR  On Wednesday, the International Energy Agency announced member nations would release a total of 400 million barrels from their strategic reserves of oil, as the Iran war continues to cause the worst disruption to energy markets in decades. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for all five Iran war-related reports Wednesday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. Click HERE for report from the Cradle. 

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Why Palestine is the Middle East’s only way out, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Let us imagine a liberated Palestine. Let us consider how justice for the Palestinian people would reshape not only the region but, indeed, the entire globe. This is not a conversation about a “political solution” in the narrow, bureaucratic sense. READ MORE . . .

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Why the U.S. is losing the war it started, by Ben Norton | Geopolitical Economy Report / ScheerPost  The war that the United States and Israel initiated against Iran continues to drag on, and as the days pass the strategy . . . Click HERE for video of presentation and print summary from ScheerPost.

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A link to a book review from the Solari Report; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-9-26. Scroll up for LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA and IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 6  A review of M. Scott Peck’s ‘People of the Lie’ (1983), by the Solari Team  In People of the Lie, Peck drew from his psychiatry practice, weaving case histories throughout the book (altered to protect confidentiality) that elucidate encounters with evil in “everyday life.” In his view, “We brush against evil not once or twice in a lifetime but almost routinely.” READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-10-26 and IRAN and WEST BANK.) — MCM

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Iran to UN: Israel killed four Iranian diplomats in Beirut hotel attack, not ‘IRGC members.’ From the Cradle. Four Iranian diplomats were killed in the Israeli strike on a Ramada hotel Sunday in Beirut, Tehran’s ambassador to the UN said in an urgent letter on Tuesday. Tel Aviv has claimed the attack targeted members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Click HERE for report including video clips.

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to FIFTEEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries and interviews (more like 25): from Agence France-Presse, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, Reuters, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, El País, and the Chris Hedges Report via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-10-26, and up or down for LEBANON and WEST BANK.) — MCM

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Iran warns ready for long war that would ‘destroy’ world economy. From AFP. Iran said today it was ready for a long war of attrition that would “destroy” the world economy, after firing on two commercial ships and threatening any vessels from the U.S. or its allies. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others. 

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Israel reports missile attack from Iran as conflict continues to widen. From Middle East Montor. The Israeli military said today it identified missiles launched from Iran, with air defenses working to intercept them, Anadolu reports. Incoming missile sirens sounded across central Israel, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. READ MORE . . .

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Iran says will hit economic targets in the region. From Middle East Eye. Iran‘s military today vowed to strike U.S. and Israeli banks and economic centres in the region, after overnight attacks hit a bank in Tehran. “People in the region should not be within a one kilometre radius of the banks,” a spokesperson for the military’s central operational command said. READ MORE . . .

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Iran says oil will reach $200 a barrel, warns of ‘continuous strikes.’ From Middle East Eye. Iran will switch from “reciprocal hits” — after attacks — to continuous strikes on adversaries, and the U.S. will not be able to control oil prices, the spokesperson for Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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What is happening on Day 12 of U.S.-Israel attacks, by Elizabeth Melimopoulos of Al Jazeera and news agencies  Tehran said nearly 10,000 civilian sites in the country have been bombed and more than 1,300 civilians killed in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Targets in Iran, including the capital city’s Mehrabad airport, were bombed overnight. Tehran continued retaliatory attacks on Israel and U.S. assets in the Gulf region. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. attacks Iranian mine-laying vessels near Hormuz. From NPR. Attacks and counterattacks continued throughout the Middle East today. Two cargo ships were struck in the Gulf, as some lawmakers in Washington pressed for answers on the war’s rationale. READ MORE . . .

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Iran war becomes a contest of who can take the most pain, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — The war with Iran, for all its complexity and global effects, boils down to a single question: Who can take the pain the longest? READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Iran targets commercial ships, Dubai airport and oil facilities as concerns grow over global energy, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran attacked commercial ships today across the Persian Gulf and targeted Dubai International Airport, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich region as global energy concerns mounted and American and Israeli airstrikes pounded the Islamic Republic. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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U.S. strikes across Iran intensify as residential buildings are not spared. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday would bring the most intense strikes across Iran. And residential buildings are not being spared in Tehran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for all six of NPR’s Iran war-related reports on today’s “Morning Edition” program.

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Spain to withdraw ambassador to Israel, by Sondos Asem | Middle East Eye  Spain has decided to withdraw its ambassador to Israel, Ana Maria Salomon Perez, the Official State Gazette said today. Spain’s embassy in Tel Aviv will be led by a charge d’affaires, according to a foreign ministry source. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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Nearly 800,000 people displaced by war against Iran and Lebanon, by Lola Hierro | El País  The escalating conflict in the Middle East has placed the civilian population in an unprecedented bind that threatens to dismantle the last remaining safe havens in the region. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same El País report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MARCH 10  Hegseth: Tuesday’s bombing heaviest yet. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Tuesday’s U.S. bombing was the most intense yet in the Iran war. Eleven days of fighting have spooked oil markets, and the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for all four Iran war-related NPR reports on Tuesday‘s “All Things Considered” program.

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FROM MARCH 6  Can Israel & the U.S. sustain Iran’s military power? Chris Hedges of the Chris Hedges Report and Alastair Crooke, retired British diplomat and director of the Beirut-based Conflicts Forum, discuss the Iran war a few days into it, ending with Crooke terming the war a “catastrophe of miscognition” by the U.S. and Israel. Click HERE for intro, interview and transcript.

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

A link to two reports from West Bank Alerts via the Floutist; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Click HERE for WEST BANK 2-23-26. Scroll up for LEBANON and IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 10 and 7  ‘The not-to-be-forgotten’ and ‘Radical trust,’ by Cara MariAnna | West Bank Alerts / The Floutist  It is 11 days into the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and there are no reports in corporate media on the impact of this aggression in the West Bank even as missiles fly over the heads of Palestinians in West Bank towns, villages, and refugee camps. In a repeat of the war in June, the Zionist regime immediately closed all checkpoints, roadblocks, and gates — some 900 in all. The entire West Bank is locked down. The situation in Gaza is worse. These, let us never forget, are also fronts in Israel’s wider war across West Asia. READ MORE . . .

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