Israeli settlers carry out series of West Bank attacks as security forces stand by

Witnesses describe coordinated raids in which homes and vehicles were set on fire and several Palestinians injured

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates 

A Palestinian woman takes a photo of a damaged house after Israeli settlers attacked three West Bank communities Photograph: Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem 

Sun 22 Mar 2026 

Israeli settlers have carried out a series of attacks across the occupied West Bank, setting homes and vehicles on fire and wounding several Palestinians in what witnesses described as coordinated raids on communities.

The violence, reported across at least half a dozen locations overnight from Saturday into Sunday, comes amid a wider surge in tensions in the territory. The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, cited local sources as saying settlers had entered al-Fandaqumiya and the nearby town of Seilat al-Dahr, south of Jenin, late on Saturday.

In al-Fandaqumiya, settlers set fire to houses and cars and smashed windows of other homes as residents “attempted to confront them and put out the fires”, according to Wafa. In Seilat al-Dahr, several homes were targeted and a resident was beaten, leaving him injured.

Further attacks were... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/22/israeli-settlers-carry-out-series-of-west-bank-attacks-as-security-forces-stand-by 

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"An entire Economist article on famine in Gaza doesn’t say the word “Israel” once. Not even when describing damage to farmland and water facilities or severely restricted aid deliveries. Saying *who* is destroying the farmland and restricting aid seems like basic info to include." Assal Rad

Assal Rad

@AssalRad

 

An entire Economist article on famine in Gaza doesn’t say the word “Israel” once.  Not even when describing damage to farmland and water facilities or severely restricted aid deliveries. 

 

Saying *who* is destroying the farmland and restricting aid seems like basic info to include.

 

https://x.com/AssalRad/status/1772862382462636150

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"Church leaders argue that invoking Christian identity while directing military actions that have killed thousands amounted to a political use of the faith, reducing Christianity to a public‑relations tool rather than a moral framework. It is this stark contrast between rhetoric and lived reality that fueled widespread anger among Christian leaders in Jerusalem and beyond."

International Middle East Media Center IMEMC Editorial Remark: Netanyahu’s statement that “Jesus was a Jew, and Christianity is part of our heritage” was framed as an outreach message to Western Christian audiences, yet it was received by Palestinian Christians as deeply provocative.

The concern was not the historical accuracy of the phrase itself, but the context in which it was delivered—during a devastating war in Gaza and amid ongoing Israeli policies that continue to harm Palestinian Christian and Muslim communities.

Church leaders argue that invoking Christian identity while directing military actions that have killed thousands amounted to a political use of the faith, reducing Christianity to a public‑relations tool rather than a moral framework.

It is this stark contrast between rhetoric and lived reality that fueled widespread anger among Christian leaders in Jerusalem and beyond. 

Jerusalem Archbishop Rebukes Netanyahu’s Statements on Christianity

Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, Jerusalem; March 21, 2026:  

They want a Jesus shaped by their own agendas and desires, while Jesus Christ came into this world to spread love, compassion, and fraternity among human beings.

Netanyahu’s offensive remarks about Christianity have angered Christians everywhere, as well as every reasonable and wise person in this region and across the world.

His statements are insulting and wholly unacceptable, yet they are not surprising. They stem from a Zionist ideology that excludes and marginalizes anyone who is not Jewish, viewing followers of other faiths as lesser beings.

Netanyahu is a product of this racist school of thought. But what concerns us most is not only what he says, but what his government continues to do to our Palestinian people, who are targeted in every aspect of their lives.

At the very moment he insults Christianity and Christians everywhere, he persists in his aggressive policies against our people.

The genocidal war in Gaza stands as the clearest testimony to the crimes committed against a people who seek nothing more than to live freely and with dignity in their homeland and on their sacred soil.

This Zionist current to which Netanyahu belongs seeks a Jesus of a different kind—one molded to their whims and political needs.

They want a Jesus who tells the killer to remain a killer, the criminal to remain a criminal, and the butcher to continue his brutality.

Jesus Christ came into this world to correct false concepts, including some recorded in the Old Testament. He came to straighten what had gone crooked, and to call every human being to live with integrity, mercy, and humanity.... READ MORE https://imemc.org/article/jerusalem-archbishop-rebukes-netanyahus-statements-on-christianity/

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Dear America- Centuries before America's Declaration of Independence in 1776 (and our subsequent Bill of Rights)- in 1095 the First Crusade was proclaimed by Pope Urban II— with a call to arms for Christians to reconquer Jerusalem from the Muslims.

letter I just sent to my elected leaders- 

Dear America,

Centuries before America's Declaration of Independence in 1776 (and our subsequent Bill of Rights)- in 1095 the First Crusade was proclaimed by Pope Urban II— with a call to arms for Christians to reconquer Jerusalem from the Muslims.

The most recent Western Crusade against Muslims is the surprise War on Iran, waged this year by Israel, Trump and Hegseth.

Governments arming religion convince naive subjects and citizens to insult, harass, hate, impoverish, and eventually kill targeted "others". It is a quick and easy way for elected and non-elected leaders to gain political power and money, as well as a savvy but cruel way to silence objections to such antics.

Britain's ludicrous Balfour Declaration of 1917 set into motion the Western Crusade that is today's modern man-made Israel. American tax money and many private donations fund & arm Israel- a very foreign country that determines freedom and rights by religion. 

I firmly believe in freedom of religion- and freedom from religion.  Growing up in a democracy that has been free to become a more real democracy with respect and security for more and more people since our Declaration of Independence in 1776, I believe that Israel has a right to exist BUT Israel has no right to be pushing the indigenous non-Jewish Palestinians into poverty and forced exile. 

Israel uses violence as well as law-fare to persecute, impoverish, and displace Palestinians.

Slavery was legal and supported by many people worldwide for generations. Now we know better.

Americans have every right to notice and object to our hard earned money being used to wage religious wars in far-away lands.

Please respect our troops, as well as our technology, by honoring our heritage and our shared planet earth- keep us safe from religious idiots and zealots yearning for End Times or whatever as a way to usurp land and resources from others.

Reinvest in The United Nations, universal human rights, the rule of fair and just laws, and diplomacy- for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

“It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of the force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war.” Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of The United Nations

A UN expert claimed Israel was systematically torturing Palestinians on a scale "that suggests collective vengeance and destructive intent", in a report released to media on Friday.

Israel has crushed Unrwa in Gaza – and the rest of the world has done nothing " I bow out of my role for the organisation at a perilous time for the international law. There are consequences not just for Palestinians, but the wider Middle East" -Philippe Lazzarini

On top of all that, official Washington is disregarding decency, a minimal need for a sustainable society, and playing footsy with the truth. An example of action devoid of decency is having fun promoting the war on social media. The White House, Pentagon and U.S. Central Command posted videos mixing actual war scenes with clips from violent video games such as “Call of Duty” and “Grand Theft Auto,” and blues artist John Lee Hooker’s song “Boom Boom” (opening lyric: “Boom, boom, boom, boom. I’m gonna shoot you right down.”)" - John Baer in The Patriot News

In 1945, 50 nations came together in San Francisco to create a new organization for peace, prosperity & human rights- the United Nations

Israel’s settlement expansion drives mass displacement in West Bank [Palestine] – United Nations report 17 March 2026

Israel is using the ongoing war to intensify multi-layered violations against Palestinians during Ramadan and Easter. Al-Aqsa stands empty. The Holy Sepulchre is sealed for the first time in history. Demolitions, settler attacks, and movement restrictions are surging.

Joe Kent, Trump's counterterrorism chief, resigns, blaming members of the media, as well as high-ranking Israeli officials and lobbyists, for prompting Trump to abandon his America First agenda.

Trump’s Iran war has cost Americans at least $11bn already. And that’s just the start- That $11.3bn doesn’t include any estimate of repairing facilities or replacing losses.- Arwa Mahdawi

"There is a reason Jesus spoke Aramaic rather than Sacred Hebrew. Hebrew was the language of the Temple and of the High Priest; it carried prestige and authority. Greek was the language of administration and of the empire. But He chose to speak Aramaic, the language of ordinary men." Camila Rocha

“War does not solve problems — on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of nations that take generations to heal.” - Pope Leo XIV renewing his call for diplomacy and commitment to peace: “Let diplomacy silence the weapons; let nations shape their future through works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflict.”

Harvesting Olives in the West Bank, in Photos For 7,000 years, the tradition has been a lifeline for Palestinians. Now, it’s under siege [by Israeli Settlers]...

Torture doesn’t create safety: it produces pain, trauma, and hatred. When people deprived of their liberty are abused, society loses its humanity. Torture is always illegal, immoral, and never justified.

Assal Rad- Good reminder: The language of manufacturing consent

Under the cover of war, the cooperation between the military and Israeli settler militias is deepening the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank. This is what has been happening on the ground since the start of the Israeli-American offensive in Iran

LET AID INTO GAZA: People in Gaza are still living in dire conditions while humanitarian aid is being blocked. On 28 February, the Israeli authorities closed all crossings into the Gaza Strip, raising concerns about food security and fuel supplies needed to sustain humanitarian operations. Although one, at Kerem Shalom, was partially reopened, the others remain closed. UNRWA has never stopped working even if its aid supplies have been blocked for over a year. But we need to be allowed to scale up.

DEAR AMERICA....

Dear America - Please stop funding and fueling Israel's wars and the ongoing destruction of historic Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria... and Iran.

War and terrorism are for tyrants, not for freedom or justice. Bully tactics teach all the wrong lessons.

Billionaires want Ballrooms. The rest of us want clean water; safe neighborhoods; good schools, libraries, & museums; National Parks; playgrounds; PBS; good job opportunities for ourselves and our children; affordable heath-care; AND PEACE.

Funding and arming terrorism and violence is evil and wrong: America should not be funding, arming, defending, or trusting today's Israel in any way, shape or form.

A barbaric new era has already begun as Americans are duped into being wage slaves for billionaires who have no respect for basic human rights and the rule of fair and just laws.

Golden Rule Thinking IS GOOD

Our land and resources are being gobbled up for AI data centers for what purpose? Is it for the greater good of tax paying citizens- or is it to feed the greed of corporations and companies that already use our data to charge us as much as they can at every turn.

Real freedom, justice, and democracy are being embezzled by corporate greed and political corruption to empower Israel and war.

"ISRAEL SAYS" is not God talking.

Israel has a right to exist, but Israel has no right to starve and displace the men, women and children of historic Palestine.

The vast majority of Americans are not wealthy & the taxes that We The People pay are being diverted into funding religious bigotry and terror via Israel's cruel war on the native non-Jewish men, women, and children of historic Palestine. HAMAS cruelty and stupidity echoes Zionist cruelty and stupidity and on and on it goes. Neither approach will build peace or security.

The weapons industry and a global war machine- AND INJUSTICE- burgeon with American tax payer funds.

Violence is a problem- not the answer.

"The United Nations is the only place on Earth where all the world's nations come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. This intergovernmental organization born out of the ashes of the Second World War remains indispensable to the pursuit of world peace, justice, equality and sustainable development" https://www.un.org/en/

The right of refugees to return to homes and lands they were expelled from is an individual right and cannot be unilaterally abrogated by third parties.  https://imeu.org/resources/resources/fact-sheet-palestinian-refugees-the-right-of-return-under-international-law/441

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

DEAR AMERICA

“It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of the force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war.” Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of The United Nations

“It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of the force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war.” –@antonioguterres on the war in the Middle East. Full remarks: https://un.org/sg/en/content/

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https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-events/2026-03-19/secretary-generals-joint-press-encounter-he-mr-antonio-costa-president-of-the-european-council

19 March 2026

Brussels

Belgium

Secretary-General's joint press encounter with H.E. Mr. António Costa, President of the European Council

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Press events | António Guterres, Secretary-General

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Ladies and gentlemen of the press,

Let me start by two clear messages.

First, to the United States and to Israel:

It’s high time to end this war that is risking to get completely out of control, causing immense suffering on civilians and with propagation around the global economy, that is really dramatic with potential tragic consequences, especially for the least developed countries.

Second message, to Iran:

Stop attacking your neighbours; they were never parties to the conflict.  

The Security Council has condemned these attacks, has ordered them to stop, as it has ordered to open the Strait of Hormuz.

The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes enormous pain in so many people around the world that have nothing to do with this conflict.

It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of the force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war.

I want, naturally, to say that I’m extremely grateful for this invitation.

The European Union and the United Nations have exemplary cooperation, and the European Union has been a fundamental support for the UN and for multilateralism.

And I hope, I’m sure, the European Union will be absolutely central in the efforts to create an international order based on the rule of law, an international order in which we will have more justice, in which we will have more climate action, in which we will have more control of the evolution of technologies and in which international law will prevail.

Thank you very much.