Missile Attack on Old Jerusalem

 

A missile has just struck Jerusalem’s Old City, very near to the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (all UNESCO World Heritage sites), some of the holiest sites to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Questions are raised about whether it was launched by Iraq, or was a provocative false flag operation by US-allied Israel, but highlighhts the dangers not only to people but valuable heritage sites caused by the United States' unprovoked and illegal attack on Iran.

UNESCO, being about as useful as a wet paper bag in a supermarket as per usual, has made no response as yet to these effects of the actions of these two terrorist states out of control and threatening world peace.

An Iranian missile just struck Jerusalem’s Old City near the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, some of the holiest sites to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. pic.twitter.com/mvz3VPHzsE

— Noa Tishby (@noatishby) March 20, 2026

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These Ancient Sites are in Jeopardy

In the southwestern Amazon, one archeologist is fighting to protect ancient sites from Brazil’s seemingly unstoppable agribusiness industry, now worth $524 billion. The carvings are proof of an ancient and sophisticated civilization that aligned its agricultural calendar with summer and winter solstices. Farmers view the land as a cash cow, and the area’s historic geometric earthworks are in the way.

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Posted on YouTube by Bloomberg Originals Sep 25, 2024

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Arrested Russian archaeologist wanted in Ukraine for Activities in occupied Crimea Will Probably be Extradited

Kate Tsurkan, 'Poland approves Russian archaeologist's extradition to Ukraine over work in occupied Crimea' Kyiv Independent March 18, 2026

A Polish court, acting on Ukraine’s request, has approved the extradition of Russian archaeologist Aleksander Butyagin to face charges over his activites in occupied Crimea. Butyagin’s arrest has clearly already had a chilling effect on academics in the Russian Federation.  At the end of January 2026, they were advised by Russia’s ministry of science and higher education to carefully assess whether they should travel to any of those countries in the EU, G7 and one or two others who have, in full accordance with international law, sanctioned Russia over its war of aggression against Ukraine.  Butyagin was arrested in Warsaw on 4th December 2025, Butyagin had been travelling around Europe giving public talks to Russian-speaking audiences. He was aware that a Kyiv court had issued a warrant for his arrest in April 2025 - but arrogantly assumed that he would not be arrested in the European Union. Since his arrest, he's been held in a Warsaw prison for allegedly conducting illegal excavations and plundering artefacts from the ancient city of Myrmekion in Crimea - Ukraine's peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

A senior scholar at the Hermitage, Russia's largest art museum in St Petersburg, he has since 1999 overseen the museum's excavations of Myrmekion, an ancient Greek settlement founded in Crimea in the 6th Century BC. Initially, his research was authorised by Ukraine. But when Russia annexed the peninsula in March 2014, the work continued without Kyiv's consent and carried on after the full-scale invasion eight years later. He could face a jail term of up to five years if found guilty of plundering artefacts, including 30 gold coins, resulting in damage estimated at more than $4.5m (£3.4m) [...] Russia's excavations in Crimea are illegal under the 2nd protocol to The Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. Ukraine and most European countries are parties to the protocol, but Russia is not.

But that is no excuse for ignoring Ukrainian law on territory that still belongs to Ukraine (though Russia - alone - contests that). The archaeologist should have thought twice before entering an illegally occupied territory for excavations. It is highly problematic, both legally and ethically. To put that in context, it has been pointed out by Vladimir Tikhonov in Oslo that, principles aside, in reality he had few alternative choices:

"Had he, a researcher at a state museum, protested the illegal annexation, he would have been fired and either arrested or forced into exile - from which he wouldn't have had any opportunities to do excavations on Russia-controlled territory. Could we, who (luckily) never faced a choice of this kind, blame him for his conformism? Could I myself choose principles rather than continuation of a research career in such a situation?"

Butyagin is currently in a detention centre in Warsaw, and a motion to release him on bail has been turned down. He is appealing the extradition.

Update 21.3.2026

Reportedly, the Russian government has officially submitted draft law No. 1181659-8 to the State Duma, allowing the extraterritorial use of the Russian Armed Forces by presidential decision to "protect" Russians detained, held, or prosecuted abroad under decisions of foreign or international courts whose jurisdiction Moscow does not recognize.

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More Cultural Crimes in US 'Epstein Raids'

As reported by Iranwire, as a result of the ongoing illegal US and Israeli bombing raids a number of Iran’s historic buildings have been damaged or destroyed. These include the Golestan Palace-Museum and parts of the historic fabric of central Tehran, the Asef, Salar Said, and Khosroabad mansions in Sanandaj, the Rashk-e Janan Palace (Governorate Palace), Chehel Sotoun Palace, Ali Qapu Palace, and the Shah Mosque of Isfahan. The Anthropology and Archaeology Museum located in Falak-ol-Aflak Castle in Khorramabad has also reportedly been damaged during the attacks. This must stop.

Israel Continues its Eighty Year Habit of Being the Aggressor State

Israel is using the cover of the Iran war to empty out southern Lebanon in the same way as they have made a desolation (the real meaning of the word "shoah" שׁוֹאָה) of Gaza. Civilians are being pushed north while the area is framed as a “buffer zone”. It looks like they are aiming for a border on the line of the northern edge of Mandatory Palestine. This aligns with their continued deliberate distortion of the wording of the Balfour Declaration, where they take "homeland... in Palestine" to mean a "state" (which it does not) covering all of Palstine (which is not the meaning of the preposition "in"). The document specifically stipulated that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”.

Israeli expansionism will not stop at South Lebanon unless they are stopped. The world must not allow Israel to ignore existing boundaries (lilke Russia has done in Ukraine) and steal Palestine and Lebanon. What we need is a strong international body to which aggressor states should be accountable, sort of like an organization of "united nations" maybe? Now where could we find such a body prepared to act in the interests not only of the displaced people,* but of world peace in general?

*after all, where are those people, after the fleeing Gazans, goiung to go? Is there room in Europe andnorthern America to accomodate them? Will they be welcome there?

Casualties of War [updated]

For four years now, the US has steadfastly failed to react in any meaningful way to the striking of civilian targets in Ukraine by the Russian Federation, residential districts, schools, hospitals, infrastructure, all are being destroyed in an attempt to wear the people down, make them see resistance to occupation and repression as futile. The inability of the Americans to see this as the horror that it is, to question the pro-Putin propaganda has puzzled all who thought of America as a place full of decent people, just like us.

That is is not, or no longer is, is shown by what they and their Israeli puppetmasters are going after in their illegal war on Iran. Although there is very clear censorship of the news in our media, more relaible reports show that so far at least 1,230 people have already been killed in Iran since start of war. The death toll includes dozens of schoolchildren killed in a strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, southern Iran on Saturday (unconfirmed figures suggest that up to 168 children and 14 teachers were killed by the strike and 95 injured). Reuters confirmed that the school was bombed TWICE by the US military, 40 minutes apart, to make sure that the hit affected rescue workers and horrified parents who had arrived at the site to find out what had happened to their kids. This was intentional. You don't "accidentally" bomb a school TWO TIMES. It was a massacre. This is the greatest number of civilians killed by the US military since the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War.

Subsequently, another three schools have reportedly been hit for some reason by Israeli and US missiles: Two schools in Parand, southwest of Tehran, hit by missiles and Shahid Hamedani School – Tehran (Niloufar Square). The World Health Organisation (which of course the isolationist USA is no longer a member of) reports that Israel and the USA have already bombed 13 hospitals in Iran. Hospitals, that is a war-crime. You can tell Israel is running this war, it's the exact same tactics as Gaza, kill the children.

As far as cultural heritage goes, almost certainly the bombing campaign in Tehran is going to result in enormous destruction. The 18th century Golestan Palace built by the Qajar Turk dynasty, is known as one of Iran's iconic buildings with its diamonds and mirrors. This complex combines traditional Persian architecture with western influences and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was damaged by US/Israeli bombing on March 2nd. Iran has formally notified UNESCO Director-General of serious damage to the Golestan Palace and parts of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar following these unlawful military attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime. The Israeli military has already destroyed or damaged over 70% of Gaza's archaeological sites and historic monuments. Now, together with the US military, they are destroying Iran's cultural heritage.

UPDATE 11th March 2026
The US and Israel have reportedly struck another girls’ school in Iran. The airstrikes this morning on Khomeyn, central Iran, struck the Shaghayegh Girls' School. There were again two airstrikes within minutes, indicating a double-tap. According to UNICEF the U.S. has already hit 20 schools, 10 hospitals, and killed over 1,300 civilians including 300 children. The United States Trump Administration is a terrorist regime.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the US-Israeli forces have already bombed for no particular reason over 20,000 non-military buildings in Iran 17,353 were people's homes.

Trump Fires 'Cosplay Barbie' from DHS

There are changes at the top of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It will no longer be led by the scandal-prone Kristi Noem (in post from January 2025 to 5th March 2026). Within it, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is the primary U.S. federal agency responsible for investigating the illicit trade in cultural property, art, and antiquities. During Noem's tenure as the 8th Secretary of Homeland Security, she oversaw Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which includes HSI. HSI operates the Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities (CPAA) program, which focuses on identifying and repatriating stolen or looted cultural heritage.

While Noem's public priorities heavily emphasized immigration enforcement, border security, and dismantling human trafficking and drug smuggling networks, HSI continued its long-standing mandate to target transnational criminal organizations involved in diverse forms of illicit trade, including antiquities.

Noem was removed from her position as Secretary on March 5, 2026 (together with Corey Lewandowski - whose Polish-origin name most journalists had extreme difficulty prononuncing properly, former Trump campaign manager and latterly powerful "special government employee" (SGE) and de facto chief of staff to Noem). President Trump has nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin to succeed her (Noem reportedly has been appointed to a new role as "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas" where she will no dounbbt find much scope to continue the cosplay activities for which she gained notoriety). Mullin is of Native American origin, he is a member of the Cherokee Nation.