26 March 2026 - ... on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

Pentagon getting ready for huge ‘final blow’ in Iran war: Report

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) and a U.S. military official monitor operations during a briefing at the White House in Washington, United States, on March 02, 2026. [The White House via X Account – Anadolu Agency]

The Pentagon is preparing military options for a “final blow” in the Iran war, involving the use of ground forces and massive bombing, according to a report by Axios, citing two US officials and two sources with knowledge of the matter, Anadolu reports.

According to the report, a “dramatic military escalation” is expected if there is no progress in talks between Tehran and Washington.

The sources said that options such as invading the strategically important islands of Kharg, Larak, Abu Musa, and others, along with a blockade of ships carrying Iranian oil east of the Strait of Hormuz, are on the table.

The report stated that some US officials believe that a “show of overwhelming force” to end the conflicts would give the US greater leverage in negotiations.

READ: Trump says NATO has done ‘absolutely nothing’ on Iran

A source familiar with the negotiation efforts said that Turkiye, Pakistan, and Egypt are continuing their attempts to organize talks between the parties.

The source noted that Iran has rejected the US’ initial demands but has not completely withdrawn from the negotiations.

Despite the sources’ statement, US President Donald Trump has reportedly not reached a decision yet on any of these scenarios.

Any potential ground operations are seen as “hypothetical” by White House officials.

READ: Trump prefers peace but ready to ‘unleash hell’ in Iran: White House

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. — Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said "I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/ — Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.

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Post published:26 March 2026
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French students announce legal action over universities’ ties with Israel

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Hundreds of demonstrators gather in central Paris to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ongoing Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, as participants wave Palestinian flags and hold banners calling for international action and solidarity with Palestine, on December 20, 2025. [Ümit Dönmez – Anadolu Agency]

Several organizations, including Student Solidarity and the French Jewish Union for Peace, have filed a complaint with a French administrative court challenging ties between French universities, two ministries and Israeli academic institutions, Anadolu reports.

In a statement published Wednesday, the groups said they are seeking “the disclosure, reassessment and termination of links between French and Israeli universities, due to the active participation of the latter in repeated and blatant violations of international law by the Israeli state.”

The French universities cited include Sciences Po Paris, Sorbonne University, Aix-Marseille University, the University of Strasbourg, Grenoble University and others.

France’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs are also named in the complaint.

READ: French far-right leader Le Pen says US made ‘mistake’ by attacking Iran

“Amid escalating violence worldwide, universities have an ethical duty to set an example and uphold strict respect for international law,” the statement said.

In 2025, the University of Lausanne and the University of Geneva ended their partnerships with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The International Criminal Court has also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war.

READ: After months of delay, British Government finally face Hamas in court

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Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it's easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel's genocidal expansion. — Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it’s easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion.

Post author:dizzy
Post published:26 March 2026
Post category:Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Fascism genocide human rights violations Israel Keir Starmer Neo-liberalism new authoritarianism Palestine plutocracy politics Zionism
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Hezbollah launches 600 projectiles in 24 hours: Israeli media

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Firefighters work where rockets fired by Hezbollah reportedly struck several locations in Nahariya, Israel’s northern Galilee region, on March 16, 2026. [Samir Abdalhade – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli media reported Thursday that Hezbollah launched about 600 rockets, drones and mortar rounds over the past 24 hours, most of them targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, Anadolu reports.

According to Channel 24, the projectiles were fired toward Israeli territory and troops operating in southern Lebanon.

“More than half of the launches were directed at Israeli forces,” the channel said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Wednesday that Hezbollah has launched more than 3,500 rockets, shells and drones toward Israel since the current conflict began early this month.

Earlier Thursday, the Israeli military said a soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon, where hostilities have escalated since March 2.

READ: Hezbollah says 2 ambushes destroyed 10 Israeli Merkava tanks

According to military figures, three Israeli soldiers have so far been killed in southern Lebanon.

In a separate statement, the Israeli military said Golani Brigade forces continued “focused ground operations” to expand what it described as a “forward security zone” in southern Lebanon.

Israel has pounded Lebanon with airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by the Hezbollah group on March 2.

Lebanese authorities say at least 1,094 people have been killed and 3,119 injured in Israeli attacks since then.

The current escalation came amid a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran which has killed more than 1,340 people since Feb. 28. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, US bases and Gulf countries.

READ: Israel using ‘Gaza playbook’ in Lebanon, destroying water infrastructure: Report

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Post published:26 March 2026
Post category:Benjamin Netanyahu crap pretend Labour Donald Trump Fascism Keir Starmer Labour Party Neo-liberalism new authoritarianism Palestine plutocracy politics Zionism
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Torture, genocide and erasure

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Israeli settlers seize 13 apartments belonging to Palestinians in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem on March 25, 2026. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency].

by Ramona Wadi walzerscent

“This is not incidental violence. It is the architecture of settler-colonialism, built on a foundation of dehumanisation and maintained by a policy of cruelty and collective terror.” The concluding sentence to the summary of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s report to the UN Human Rights Council on torture and genocide succinctly sums up how Israel has been using torture as part of its gradual annihilation of the Palestinian people. Since October 2023, torture has become a weapon in Israel’s genocide.

Albanese notes that while torture is a crime under international law, the Genocide Convention describes torture as an underlying act of genocide “when inflicted with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a protected group “as such”. Genocide, Albanese explains from the legal framework of the Genocide Convention, “many be committed through sustained practices that break bodies, minds and collective resilience.”

READ: Israeli army demolishes Palestinian park, car showroom in occupied West Bank

The historical realities of torture since the British Mandate contextualises the current torture practices Israel inflicts on Palestinians today. British torture practices were incorporated by Israel after 1948. In 1987, the Landau Commission effectively ruled in favour of torture “on a person suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.” With impunity assigned a foundation, what happens when a settler-colonial entity which treats Palestinians as legitimate targets for annihilation, blatantly considers all Palestinians as terrorists?

Torture becomes normalised, and because the international community has already subscribed to Israel’s security narrative, there is no opposition to a practice that, as Albanese illustrated, also constitutes an underlying act of genocide.

It is not Israel’s torture of Palestinian detainees since October 2023 that catches attention when reading the report, but the analysis of how Israel uses genocide as a means of torture. Albanese’s report illustrates how mass displacement, the destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure and cultural sites, the erasure of collective memory through such destruction, the destruction of the healthcare system, starvation, permanent disabilities, as well as Israeli weaponry used against Palestinians in Gaza all constitute forms of torture. The same applies to the occupied West Bank, where sophisticated surveillance and military incursions, the destruction of refugee camps and agricultural land, all constitute forms of torture and genocidal violence.

READ: Gaza death toll from Israeli war nears 72,300, Health Ministry says

Having prioritised Israel’s security narrative over rights, both the Knesset and Israel’s judiciary have normalised torture. Albanese writes, “Torture has thus become a collective enterprise,” showing how the entire fabric of Israeli society renders itself a participant in torture practices through the settler-colonial narrative. “by targeting the totality of the people, across the totality of the occupied land, through a totality of conduct, genocide has become the ultimate form of torture: continuous, generational and collective.”

Justice, Albanese stated, should “confront torture not as an isolated crime, but as a foundational pillar of the genocidal project aimed at the complete erasure – physical and psychological destruction, displacement and replacement – of the Palestinian people.” Torture as state policy has ensured that no aspect of Palestinian life is immune. The report illustrates what statistical data omits – the price Palestinians are paying in their daily lives for the international community’s complicity with colonialism and genocide.

BLOG: The UN leaves UNRWA isolated, and Palestinians prone to genocide

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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