how is it an iranian ploy when it was israels desicion to massacre innocent palestinian civilians.

This is an important and perceptive article. The Iranian ability to make trouble in the region has not been sufficiently appreciated.

The writer forgets that another reason for the conflict could be to distract the Iranian electorate who are growing tired of Ahmadinejad and his ruling elite. This way the leadership can rally the people and distract them from the dire economic situation.

that i didnt even read the rest. idiot. 600 people, 3000 wounded by israel, and its IRAN who's diverting attention.

Iran indeed represents a far more menacing threat both to Israel, the region and the world at large. Israel must absolutely and resolutely crush Hamas while keeping a watchful eye on Iran, in preparation for a strike to eliminate the existential threat fomenting terror in Tehran. The international community cannot ignore Iran's malicious meddling across the Middle East, all the while it develops nuclear weapons.

the truth may be true, but if you don't like it, it is not true. by the way, it is HAMAS who did this evil to its own people. don't blame ISRAEL, but you have to blame them because you don't like it if it is not Israel's fault.

The annoying fact is I was sdistracted. As an agent of Iran I should have wondered why Hamas would esculate the missle attacks at this time.

However, as long as military action is not publically advocated by the US & others, with a definite date & highly visible preparations seen to be made, nothing will stop Iran's progress towards nuclear capability. Sanctions, diplomacy, negotiations, are all a waste of time - time Iran is using to advance it's nuclear ambitions. So while Gaza may well be a distraction & trouble with Hezbollah another distraction, the fact remains that nothing particularly effective was planned against Iran anyway. Even the drop in the price of oil, while disasterous for Iran's economy, will not impede their progress. The Iranian regime cares nothing for the Iranian people - they would sacrifice millions of Iranians (& millions of anyone else) for their crazy ideology. Without military action, all the discussions are a moot point.

If bees chase you and try to sting you, so you hit back and destroy their beehive (killing all of them including those that didn't sting you) does that make you the one who started? You don't have to be clever to know that the fanatical Sunis in Iran knew that if their Hamas offspring tempted Israel enough, Israel would respond with force, shifting the limelight away from Iran and on to Israel... Iran doesn't care if it's Jews, Hamas or Palestinians who get killed. Most of us Palestinians are Shi'a and are expendable in their eyes...

simply ludicrous!

Yeah and I suppose the Iraqis bombed the World Trade Center. Y'all come back and visit when you get a brain.

No war. No bombs. No deaths. A full naval blockade of the Straits of Hormuz to seal off 100% of Iran's oil exports. They will be on their knees within a few months and the people of Iran will take care of the Mad Mullahs.

I can see you are being a lot of help to your people hiding out in Muswell Hill or whatever. Par for the course I suppose.

over 90% Iranians are Shite, not Sunni. They depise Sunni and are at war them them in the SW of their country. From what i have read (and it could possibly be wrong) about 80% of Palestinians are Sunni, with 18% being Shite and the other 2% Christian or other. I suggest you check your facts before responding so harshly to others.

your idea is not so great either my friend. By shutting down the straight of hormuz, you would be doing two things: 1) starting a war with Iran. To think they will sit back and just watch as we blockade them is naive. they will fight back and strike american interests in the reason. They will activate their proxies in Iraq and Lebanon. 2) you will cause the price of oil to skyrocket (which only benefits hostile regimes and corrupt oil companies) and will effectivly cut off 30% of the world's oil supply. Not a smart route to take when the world is already reeling from the ecomonic slowdown. Just like the people of Gaza, the Iranians will not just fall to their knees and beg for mercy. By attacking/blockade a country, you will force them to come together against the threat, not fight amongst themselves.

IF Hezbollah decides to chime in... First, I would not say, discuss or even mention anything about Lebanon and all the What If's. When they act they may just launch one or two rockets. I would remain calm, do not threaten, do not start beating the chest. Instead, just start calling up a VERY large force. Then when they decide to send more rockets and it's now no mistake... Shock & Awe time for the IDF-AF just like Gaza. It will take about 3 hours for Hezzies to get the message. Then wait and see if they got the message. If they don't, go straight for the juglar and hit especially hard Beirut and the Hezbollah main facilities. Do the sea invasion on Beirut. Let them wait till hell freezes over for you to arrive on the expected routes from the south. That ought to mix things up for starters. Gaza is coming along just by the old 'divide & conquer' strategy. Rockets will drop off in the next 48 hours. Too bad you can't send in commando team into Gaza Shifa hospital basement Hamas hideout quarters. Same goes if Syria is stupid enought to commit suicide or Iran would like to convert all their nuclear facilities into a garbage dump over night... Mahalo

Wonder why foreign journalists can't enter Gaza? Is it because Israel, in its propaganda bid, does not want the horrors of Gaza to be broadcasted to an international audience, but rather a much smaller one to justify this one Gaza whose intensity is... well... not being fully revealed?

Damn, Ynet stole my idea

Punishing a population in the hopes that they will depose their leaders has a success rate of 0%. Israel tried it in Lebanon, which only legitimized Hezbullah; Israel is trying it now in Gaza and this experiment (Gaza is a laboratory, I'm afraid) has failed yet again. Both Gaza and Lebanon are the training grounds of a future Iranian confrontation... and a failed one as far as these two have gone.

When will you learn your lesson?

Much food for thought.

Israel is now afraid to fight countries that can actually fight back. They dont want to make it rain on Tel Aviv.

See he does not understand what a proxy war is. They elected Hammas, Hammas fired missile indiscriminately at Israel at the bidding and support of Iran perhaps, Israel fired back, big public outcry, Now no one pays attention to Iran building nukes in the meantime.....see how that works! For all the liberals that defend the Palestinians and the crap they pull because you believe that's their land and they have a right to...LOL. As a full blooded Cherokee Indian I guess we should fire shitty homemade rockets off our crappy reservations into your citys until you give us our land back! Oh that's not the same, of course not to stupid liberals . So why don't people like Mike take a day of from their medial coffee shop job and do something there good at like throwing red paint on hard working Americans fur coats and let the Israelis handle there business and quite having opinions before you look in your own backyard.

No, Hamas is not a pawn of the US. This latest propaganda move is meant to take the world's eyes off the number of Palestinian civilians murdered by the IAF and IDF, more than Hamas has killed in years. Look at Iran, who is killing no one! No need to look at us as we slaughter hundreds of Palestinian civilians. Don't you know?: We HAVE to do it.

...and the Hamas thugs are putting on a great show for the gullible international media, which do not look below the surface of anything. Whatever happened to investigative journalism?

it certainly is......................................