"US military commanders have been invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical “end times” to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops, according to complaints made to a watchdog group..."

US troops were told war on Iran was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’, watchdog alleges

Religious freedom group says 200 troops sent complaints of superiors using extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war

• Middle East crisis – live updates 

... The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) says it has received more than 200 complaints from service members across all branches of the armed forces, including the marines, air force and space force.

One complainant, identified as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) in a unit that could be deployed “at any moment to join” operations against Iran, told MRFF in a complaint viewed by the Guardian that their commander had “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ”.

“He said that ‘President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth’”, the NCO added.

The NCO’s complaint was filed on behalf of 15 troops, including 11 Christians, one Muslim person and one Jewish person. The complaint was first shared by MRFF with Jonathan Larsen ... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/us-israel-iran-war-christian-rhetoric

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‘We’ll run out of food this week’: Israel’s Iran war brings new Gaza siege: “I don’t have enough money to buy and store food before prices increase, as some others have done,” said Um Mohammed Hijazi, a 49-year-old mother of five. The family home was destroyed in the war and they were displaced five times.

Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, threatening to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis

• US-Israel war on Iran – live updates

Displaced Palestinian families gather for free meals from a charitable kitchen at Al-Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Nusairat, Gaza Strip, on 28 February Photograph: Moiz Salhi/APAImages/Shutterstock

Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis.

After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces in control of about 60% of the territory, almost all of Gaza’s food must be brought in.

Humanitarian groups feeding much of the population say the supplies they had on Saturday, when the war began, will only last a few more days.

“If [the borders] stay closed, World Central Kitchen will run out of food this week,” said the organisation’s founder and chief, José Andrés, in a post on social media.

“We are cooking 1m hot meals every day. We need food deliveries every single day.”

One international food security expert said there was just a week’s supply of fresh food in Gaza.

Community bakeries that supply some of the most vulnerable people have only enough flour for about 10 days of bread, and there are about two weeks’ supply of aid parcels.

Israel imposed a total siege on Gaza last spring followed by extreme restrictions on food shipments. Together they caused a famine last summer.

Hundreds of people were also killed trying to reach the food distribution points of... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/02/iran-attacks-gaza-under-siege?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

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

The United Nations- Translating War in Peace

letter I just sent to my elected leaders

Dear America,

Modern war is assisted by drones, satellites, fighter jets, bombs, and sophisticated computer technology as We The People everywhere are pushed and bribed into doing all things online, including getting advice from AI.  Meanwhile our online news can be easily re-written in a blink by sycophants who care more about power and/or money than the truth- and true democracy.

Today's America led by Trump partners up with an Israel that claims to be Jewish; an Israel that funds Jewish "religious scholars" and Jewish-only housing projects in the illegally occupied territories; an Israel that wants the land but not the native non-Jewish people of that land; an Israel that is armed with American money and weaponry; an Israel that attacks its neighbors over and over; an Israel that bulldozes homes and then bombs refugee camps; an Israel that used the United Nations to gain sovereign power in 1948 but has been flagrantly violating international laws, borders, and basic human rights all along.

Israel wants war in order to grab more land and resources- including more American taxpayers' money.  Are we the tail or the dog that wags the tail?

No one can know how this militant mess of state sponsored terrorism will play out, how history and hindsight will see the choices being made today, but one thing I do know is that this 2026 war on Iran is not self-defense for U.S. or for Israel.  

Recently, in the illegally occupied West Bank, Israel's IDF installed a new iron gate at the entrance of the Palestinian village of Silwad, the only access point for several nearby villages, including the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh.  Israel also closed all gates and stopped aid from entering the besieged and crucified Gaza.

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

The United Nations is for peace & security.  Our country should be investing money & positive energy into the United Nations-investing  in full respect for human rights, heritage, education, AND freedom of and from religion.   We should be investing in dialogue and investing in accountability, true justice, and an end to all violence.

We should not be investing in Israel, or trusting their intelligence.

I remember the Persian Gulf War 1990-1991.

I remember the horrors of 9/11, the September 11th 2001 attacks on America by al-Qaeda terrorists.... and then the subsequent Afghanistan War 2001-2021.

I remember the Iraq War 2003-2011.

And I remember all the hype in the early 2010s about "The Arab Spring" with anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions in the Arab countries.   How did all that play out... less freedom, more rage and suffering for everyone, more anti-American angst and the only ones to benefit were religious zealots and tyrants throughout the entire region, especially Israel.

Military-industrial complexes- weapons manufacturing and sales have been flourishing, polluting the earth, and impoverishing far-away families and communities.

The rule of fair and just laws and polices has not flourished. AND American freedom & American families have not flourished either.  But bigotry and hate has flourished, nourished by all the worst...  This latest war is yet another lose-lose for everyone- except Israel.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

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

"We need a Security Council that reflects today’s world – not the world of 1945. When vetoes become political cover, when geopolitical rivalries override the protection of civilians, the result is the same: Impunity grows. Suffering multiplies. And human rights are trampled." United Nations

"Everything must be done to prevent a further escalation in the Middle East. I call on all sides to strictly uphold their obligations under international law, including the United Nations Charter, protect civilians & ensure nuclear safety. Let’s act responsibly & together to pull the region & our world back from the brink." António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

This cartoon is 16 years old. And it remains relevant today, unfortunately

"His [Trump's] escalation against Iran comes as he faces mounting domestic pressure, for attacking the civil rights of US citizens in Minneapolis, amid renewed scrutiny surrounding the Epstein files, and just days after the US supreme court struck down the legal justification for his global tariff policy." Christopher S Chivvis

Mike Huckabee lifts the veil on US backing for Israeli expansionism: His interview with Tucker Carlson did not merely expose a diplomat's worldview. It illuminated a dangerous regional project

"Israel has equipped thousands of settlers with military firearms and uniforms and given them lethal powers without adequate oversight mechanisms. Shootings, violent assaults, trespassing, theft and property damage are only some examples of the types of offenses Israeli civilians have committed against Palestinians behind the shield of military issued firearms and uniforms over the past two years." Settlers in Uniform, on violence perpetrated against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli civilians wearing military uniforms.

"It’s not just the unhinged murderous settler thugs & the Israeli genocidal army that are Israel’s weapon of choice in Palestine & throughout the region; the American army & administration are clearly the most accommodating & lethal weapon that carries out Israel’s bidding in our region to re-engineer the whole area to suit Israel’s “security” & hegemonic designs." Dr Hanan Ashrawi

A world on edge as Trump bombs Iran and triggers war in the Middle East. There was no need for this: We cannot know where this foolish, reckless attack will end – but new hatreds will be seeded, terrorist vendettas sown and, ultimately, little will be achieved.

Voice of Rabbis "The recent military operations conducted by the State of Israel are strictly political and governmental maneuvers. They do not represent the Jewish people, nor are they sanctioned by the Holy Torah. Authentic Judaism is a covenant of Divine service and the sanctity of human life; the Torah does not authorize the waging of war under the banner of the Jewish name. The true protection of the Jewish nation rests solely upon Divine Providence, not upon the fleeting strength of human weaponry or secular military power. We categorically reject the claim of those who call themselves the “Jewish State” to act on behalf of world Jewry. For two millennia, the Jewish people have lived in exile by Divine decree, guided by a tradition of patience and peaceful conduct among the nations. .."

Just a few hours ago, a series of attacks took place in Duma. Armed terrorists, fully backed by the state and the IDF, attacked Palestinians and activists, injuring some of them. Arrests? Yes, six people were detained: four Palestinians, including a child, and two activists.

"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld." Pope Leo XIV

Iran is often reduced to headlines about politics. But behind them stands one of the oldest continuous civilizations on Earth, where architecture, poetry, and faith shaped beauty for over 2,500 years

'40,000 Palestinian children in Gaza are now without parents. This is the largest orphan crisis in modern history, according to UNICEF. Israel did this. If Russia had done the same in Ukraine, the world would call it what it is — a war crime, a crime against humanity."

Palestine on the Moon - a lovely new children's book by Susan Abulhawa, illustrated by M. Jaber ... a small sampling of the pages

Christianity has been central to Palestine’s political imagination, cultural production and moral vocabulary. It is precisely this reality that Israel and its Christian Zionist patrons seek to obscure

"Israel has invented new ways to violate international law, further entrenching its unlawful occupation and apartheid and while totally disregarding its obligations as an occupying power towards Palestinian civilians. Israel instead has deliberately and consistently advanced its aggressive annexation agenda, with total impunity in blatant violation of international law, which categorically prohibits annexation, settling civilians from the occupying power in the occupied territory, displacing or removing protected persons and unlawfully seizing property in the occupied territory:"

"When we understand that genocide is not only achieved by mass killings, but also through institutional restructuring imposed by an external power, the genocidal character of the Board of Peace becomes apparent. The situation in Palestine is truly dystopian and must not be allowed to continue." Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention

"This is Qais, 14, from Aboud near Ramallah. A 9th grader. Active in his church. A child who should be in school today. Instead, Israeli soldiers kidnapped him from his home this morning. Family traumatized. Pray for his release." Rev. Munther Isaac منذر اسحق

1910, Bethlehem, Palestine 🇵🇸 The Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Saba overlooking the Kidron Valley ☦️

Family of UN official sanctioned by US over Israel criticism sues White House: Lawsuit against the Trump administration says penalties against Francesca Albanese violate the first amendment

“Our future depends on our joint commitment to defend every person’s rights, every time, everywhere,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk tells the United Nations Human Rights Council: Accountability is needed, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as anywhere else. Impunity kills, it must stop.

"Within My Soul" by artist Heba Hamad.

Israel has ordered 37 aid groups to halt life-saving operations in war-torn Gaza, as well as the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. In their joint statement, the aid agencies said that stopping their activities will lead to a “humanitarian collapse and irreparable harm” for hundreds of thousands of people in need. “Turning humanitarian organisations into an information-gathering arm for a party to the conflict stands in total contradiction to the principle of neutrality... ”

The US normalizes the annexation of the West Bank by offering consular services in an illegal settlement

Last December, UNRWA Commissioner-General @UNLazzarini welcomed the overwhelming vote by the UN General Assembly to renew UNRWA's mandate as “an acknowledgement of the international community’s responsibility to support the humanitarian and human development needs of Palestine Refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their decades-long plight.”

"We need a Security Council that reflects today’s world – not the world of 1945. When vetoes become political cover, when geopolitical rivalries override the protection of civilians, the result is the same: Impunity grows. Suffering multiplies. And human rights are trampled." United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

Jewish Voice for Peace: We can demand that our community institutions stop investing in genocide and Israeli apartheid by stopping buying Israel Bonds. And by doing so, we withdraw key support for violence against Palestinians.

"Palestinians have long drawn parallels between such violence and the oppression they endure under Israeli occupation. In both contexts, lethal force is justified as a “threat,” official narratives often contradict video evidence, medical care is delayed or denied, and entire communities are criminalized." Ikram Mezghani

In Gaza, Israel’s creeping Yellow Line takes Palestinians’ land, and lives

Israeli authorities granted only 66 building permits to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over an 11-year period, while illegal settlers were given 22,000 permits, an Israeli newspaper reported Sunday, Anadolu reports.

"I fear Christians will be depopulated once and for all from the land where they have maintained continuous presence since the time of Jesus." - Faresa Abraham

US envoy Mike Huckabee says it would be ‘fine’ if Israel took all Middle East land... [Tucker] Carlson pointed out that this area in modern geography would include “like, basically the entire Middle East.... The Levant … Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon – it’d also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq...”

The Guardian view on Trump’s Board of Peace: serving private interests more than public good. As aid trickles into Gaza, Washington channels $10bn into a body chaired by the president. Peace in the region rests on law and sovereignty, not ego and brinkmanship

ICE is now the highest -funded law enforcement agency in the US... ‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks

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.

Dear America,  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

Palestine on the Moon - a lovely new children's book by Susan Abulhawa, illustrated by M. Jaber ... a small sampling of the pages ... PLEASE buy a copy from the author

https://susanabulhawa.com/books/palestine-on-the-moon/

https://susanabulhawa.com/books/palestine-on-the-moon/

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Iran is often reduced to headlines about politics. But behind them stands one of the oldest continuous civilizations on Earth, where architecture, poetry, and faith shaped beauty for over 2,500 years

A map with the regional styles and signature patterns of traditional Persian carpets across Iran. 

Muse

@xmuse_

 & more cultural treasures

Culture Explorer

@CultureExploreX

Vank Cathedral, Isfahan (1606) Built by Armenian Christians under Safavid rule, this cathedral blends Persian ornament with Armenian sacred art, a reminder that Iran’s history is deeply multicultural.

Iran is often reduced to headlines about politics. But behind them stands one of the oldest continuous civilizations on Earth, where architecture, poetry, and faith shaped beauty for over 2,500 years. Here’s a journey through Iran’s architectural splendor.  

Shah Cheragh Shrine, Shiraz (12th century) A sanctuary of mirrored mosaics where light fractures into thousands of reflections, turning architecture into an almost cosmic experience.

 

Sar Yazd Castle (3rd century AD) A fortified storage complex built to protect valuables and trade goods along ancient caravan routes.

 https://x.com/CultureExploreX/status/2027715482816516531/photo/1

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