Sunday, March 15, 2026

Mark S. Singel: "This war is illegal and unconstitutional. It is raining death and destruction on countless innocent civilians who are simply in the way. The war is draining America of resources and costing families billions of dollars in higher prices and declining pension accounts. But it may be worse than that. It may be the beginning of a cycle of destruction caused by the deranged vision of one man. "

"... This war is illegal and unconstitutional. It is raining death and destruction on countless innocent civilians who are simply in the way. The war is draining America of resources and costing families billions of dollars in higher prices and declining pension accounts.

But it may be worse than that. It may be the beginning of a cycle of destruction caused by the deranged vision of one man.

In a stunning article featured in The Guardian, some commanders are carrying an “end-of-times” message into the fray. One officer reported that his commander “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan … that President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”

Even the most ardent MAGA supporters must know that it has never been the policy of America to initiate wars.

Yes, there have been clandestine operations that presidents have undertaken in the past.

Yes, we have engaged in conflicts that bogged down in the jungles of Vietnam or the deserts of Afghanistan. But we have never boasted about kidnapping foreign leaders or decapitating regimes just because we had the ability to do so.

The real cost of Trump’s adventurism in the Mideast is that it validates behaviors that were, until now, reserved for the worst blood-thirsty leaders in history."

Trump’s war on Iran is an unconstitutional assault on American democracy | Opinion

Published: Mar. 14, 2026

Guest Editorial

By Mark S. Singel

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2026/03/trumps-war-on-iran-is-an-unconstitutional-assault-on-american-democracy-opinion.html?gift=d437e2df-540e-4bbd-87f7-bfa1f787eaf6

"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

Camila Rocha

@Camila_Rocha

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.

The Jews expected an earthly king from the High Priest’s line. Jesus was from the line of David, a Judahite, not from the line of the High Priest. But God had reserved a most humble and generous coming for His Son.

Jesus was born a Nazarene, born in a manger. He also spoke the low vernacular, because He came for all, for the just and for the poor. And the measure of someone’s value was not in status or in what he possessed, but in what his heart carried: love for the Most High.

That is the essence of God’s most beloved souls: poor in spirit, independent of whatever their status might be.

For before Him all stand as children, and God alone is the true Father.

https://x.com/Camila_Rocha/status/2032967019461808306

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]...

New York Magazine

@NYMag

Palestinians in the West Bank face a double bind: Relinquish their homes to Israeli settlers, becoming either displaced within Palestine or international refugees; or remain on their land, perpetually vulnerable to surveillance, attack, and intimidation.

Disruption of the olive harvest is both a means of land dispossession and a form of regimented impoverishment. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians rely on income from olive farming, and an estimated 70 percent of their harvest was threatened in 2025.

At the end of the season, the U.N. reported 178 settler attacks.

Farmers and their families, including children, were killed by gunfire and tear gas.

Centuries-old olive trees were razed.

Thousands of acres were burned, bulldozed, or blocked off for Israeli “military use.”

Since then, the violence hasn’t died down: In February, settlers reportedly destroyed seven Palestinian villages in a single week.

At the same time, Israel continues to exert ever tighter control over the West Bank, making it more difficult for Palestinians to retain their land.

The writer Jasmine Sanders traveled to the West Bank to volunteer during the 2025 olive-harvest campaign. “My experience of the olive harvest was one of queasy liminality,” she writes.

“Not war, and yet not peace: the bracingly quotidian terror of life under threat from settlers and amid Israeli military occupation, which is now the longest such occupation in history.”

Read more about her experience: nymag.visitlink.me/e43Mea

Jasmine Sanders, is a writer from the South Side of Chicago.

Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past: The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous military checkpoints at the entrances to the town.

https://acninternational.org/taybeh-do-not-let-palestinian-christians-become-a-memory-of-the-past/

Taybeh: Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past

Palestine Interviews

March 12, 2026

The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous military checkpoints at the entrances to the town.

On February 8, 2026, the Israeli government adopted an administrative decision strengthening the authority of its civil and military administration over land and real estate in the West Bank.

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, the priest of the Latin parish, Father Bashar Fawadleh, speaks of “mounting pressure” on the 1,400 souls of the village, as well as “lack of protection.”

What was your reaction to the February 8, 2026 decision strengthening Israeli control in the West Bank?

The Israeli government’s security cabinet made a very serious decision regarding the West Bank, strengthening its direct control over this territory. This decision is considered one of the most dangerous since 1967 and many people see it as the beginning of an official annexation of the West Bank.

First, many administrative and civil responsibilities are being transferred to Israeli institutions, even in areas that were supposed to be under Palestinian management. The expansion of settlements is being encouraged. Settlers can buy more land and expand their outposts. This puts growing pressure on Palestinian towns and villages like ours. Israel is also taking full control of important religious sites, notably the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron [built over the Tomb of the Patriarchs]. The Palestinian authorities are losing their role there, and this affects the religious and cultural rights of the inhabitants. Finally, demolitions of homes and movement restrictions are increasing. Towns and villages are being isolated from one another.

What does this mean for a village like Taybeh?

This decision directly affects people’s daily lives, which are becoming more difficult. Families are losing their homes. Workers can no longer go to their jobs. Students struggle to get to school. Farmers can no longer access their lands.

For years, the inhabitants of Taybeh have suffered attacks from neighbouring settlers: destruction of agricultural land as recently as February, burning of property, and preventing farmers from accessing their olive trees, which are their main source of income. On 28 February, settlers entered land belonging to a family and stole a horse and its foal. Furthermore, the regional context – marked notably by the war in Gaza – continues to have profound repercussions on the West Bank. The general climate has become more fragile and tense, with an increase in military operations, traffic restrictions due to the installation of military gates at several entrances to the city, including a new one about two weeks ago. Israeli forces control when they are opened and closed, disrupting the daily lives of civilians.

With this new Israeli decision of February 2026, the pressure will increase even further. Settlement expansion threatens agricultural lands. The lack of protection leaves residents without legal support. The violence creates a climate of fear and insecurity.

All this has led many Christians in the Holy Land to consider emigration. What message do you have for them? How do you encourage those who remain?

Unfortunately, the idea of emigration is increasingly present in people’s minds. Several families have already left Taybeh – 16 between 2023 and 2025 – and others are seriously considering it, especially because of the insecurity and the lack of economic prospects.

The history of Taybeh speaks of empty houses, lost lands, broken communities, and the progressive disappearance of Christians from their historic land. As a priest and pastor, my message is first and foremost one of understanding and closeness: I understand the fear, and the responsibility of parents toward their children.

But I also want to remind them that the Christian presence in Taybeh is a mission and a living testimony: that of a faith rooted in this land where Christianity was born. Leaving the land is sometimes a human necessity, but staying is often an act of faith and hope. Hope does not deny the difficulties, but it reminds us that human dignity, justice, and peace remain possible. The Christians of the Holy Land want to continue to be artisans of dialogue, peace, and an evangelical presence in the heart of this wounded region.

However, to encourage those who remain, we need concrete support: creating jobs, accompanying young people, strengthening parish solidarity, and making every family feel that they are not alone.

What role do you hope for from the international community, the universal Church, and international Christian organizations?

As a priest on the ground, I expect the international community to visit us, document the incidents and to take clear action to guarantee the safety of civilians, access to agricultural lands and sources of income, the protection of places of worship, and an end to impunity.

I expect from the universal Church a strong and constant voice in favor of the Christians of the Holy Land, as well as pastoral and material support to help families stay on their land.

Finally, I expect from international Christian organizations, such as Aid to the Church in Need, essential support through concrete projects in the fields of education, housing, employment, and psychological and spiritual support.

Fr Bashar celebrating mass in Taybeh, the last fully Christian village in the West Bank

What message would you like to send to Christians around the world?

As the priest of Taybeh, I would like to say to Christians around the world that we need your solidarity. Taybeh is not just a village; it is a living sign of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

Pray for us, but also support us through your actions, your commitment, and your testimony. Help us ensure that the Christians of this land remain a living community, rooted in faith, and not a mere memory of the past. Thank you again for your support and your prayers for the communities of the Holy Land.

https://acninternational.org/taybeh-do-not-let-palestinian-christians-become-a-memory-of-the-past/

“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.”

“No armed victory can make up for a mother’s grief, a child’s fear, or a stolen future.” - Pope Leo XIV artwork by Be a Heart

Pope Leo XIV after U.S. bombings in Iran: ‘Humanity cries out and pleads for peace’

Reacting to what he called the “alarming news” of U.S. airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, Pope Leo XIV on Sunday [June 22,2025] pleaded with the international community “to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”

Pope Leo XIV spook to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus on June 22, 2025:

“There are no distant conflicts when human dignity is at stake,” he said. “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.”

The pope also evoked the most heartbreaking human toll of violence. “No armed victory can make up for a mother’s grief, a child’s fear, or a stolen future.”

Finally, he renewed 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.”

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