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As Israel takes steps to claim land in West Bank, U.S. stands by

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  By  Abbie Cheeseman ,  Lior Soroka ,  Hazem Balousha  and  Siham Shamalakh Israel has moved aggressively in recent days to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank, unilaterally adopting policies that analysts say represent a major shift toward annexation and appear to defy President Donald Trump, who has said he opposes annexation but has not publicly pushed back on the escalating   Israeli measures. This month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, in a closed-door meeting, adopted measures to make it easier for settlers to purchase land and to circumvent the Palestinian Authority in areas it has controlled since a 1995 agreement under the Oslo accords. The move was widely condemned in the Arab world and globally as a violation of international law and an undoing of decades-old regional security agreements. After that decision, the White House issued a statement reiterating Trump’s opposition to annexation, and the president e...
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The Iran Hawks' Distorted View of Iran By Daniel Larison

  Earlier this week, the Secretary of State  displayed  his superficial understanding of Iran: It’s going to be hard. It’s been very difficult for anyone to do real deals with  Iran , because  we’re dealing with radical Shia clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones  [bold mine-DL]. American policymakers have viewed post-revolutionary Iran this way for almost half a century. The image of the Iranian government as nothing more than radical zealots is very helpful to Iran hawks because it allows them to cast Iran’s leaders as dangerously irrational. Hawks routinely try to paint adversaries as irrational in order to make diplomacy with the other side seem impossible and not worth trying. Hardliners describe an enemy this way so they can justify the most aggressive and hostile policies against them. Rubio’s comment is partly a projection of his own ideological fanaticism. Rubio, Trump, and other Iran hawks are the ones making decisions...
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President Trump Threatens War With Iran at His First ‘Board of Peace’ Meeting

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  President Trump Threatens War With Iran at His First ‘Board of Peace’ Meeting The US president convened the meeting as he's overseeing the largest buildup of US airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by  Dave DeCamp  | February 19, 2026 at 1:25 pm ET President Trump on Thursday convened the first meeting of his so-called “Board of Peace,” a body he formed to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, which Israel continues to violate, and  appeared to threaten  that a US attack on Iran could come within 10 days. In a speech at the meeting, Trump referenced his June 2025 attack on Iran, which targeted the country’s nuclear facilities. “Now, we may have to take it a step further — or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You’re going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 days,” he said. Trump also said that Iran “must make a deal. If that doesn’t happen… bad things will happen.” President Donald Trump speaks at the inaugural Board of Peace m...
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A message from Maung Zarni

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"As U.S. and Iranian officials continue negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, President Trump has ordered a buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers. “This is an extremely dangerous situation, which both sides are actually incentivized to escalate,” says Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “Both sides actually believe that a short, intense war may improve their negotiating position.” " https://scheerpost.com/2026/02/19/extremely-dangerous-situation-trita-parsi-warns-u-s-iran-have-incentives-to-escalate-conflict/ =================================   https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei?utm_source=substack&publication_id=2510348&post_id=188421814&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=7gw7&triedRedirect=true =============================================== ...
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