Relax, Ashley Perry. The IAF hasn't forgotten about Iran. It's just a turn and burn when we're finished in Gaza. Stay tuned.

"Is Gaza war an Iranian ploy to divert attention away from nuke program? " Iran is a friend of the democratic, subjugated and dying/wounded/starving/scared people of Palestine. Iran isn't shooting and bombing anyone, God's Children are (600 odd slayings to the time of this post, plus the thousands which preceded this Israeli attack over recent years), An anti-social person will tell you "If you don't do what I want, you will be responsible for my behaviour." Israelis you are responsible for your behaviour, and you are using international aid money to finance it. The world is disgusted by the behaviour of Israel and it's judeo-christion supporters this century, and wonder if the UN might need to send a major defensive expedition into Palestine. Free-thinking law-abiding Australians trained in Palestine to help liberate the victims of Nazi Germany all throughout Europe and the middle-east in WW2, now we would love to join the UN to help the people of Palestine again. But if there is no international intervention, perhaps Palestine will win the conflict anyway, in a similar manner to the unexpected Lebanese victory in '06. Free thinkers of the world are uniting this time, fare-ye-well Palestine!

You need to pull your head out of your ass.

Sir: It seems that you are forgetting that the alleged "distraction" from the real threat, a nuclear Iran, was initiated by your government. If you were an enemy of Israel, would you not feel validated by the ratio upwards of 1:100 in casualties. I myself would not feel safe within reach of Israel's hubris regarding the use of military force. Until when? Would you suffer stoically after 40 plus years of humilliation and expoliation (Israeli settlements, walls, use of water, collective punishment, etc?

The premise of this article is entirely plausible. Query: what then is Israel doing wasting its time with the relative gnat that is Hamas in Gaza? To Shaul "Hot Turn," the Nazarene: Yeah, right. To paraphrase Clint Eastwood, a country, like a man, has got to know its limitations. You're suggesting that Israel is going to take out Iran in one fell swoop, after dealing with Hamas for breakfast, and then go surfing?

The Iranians instructed Hamas to bombard until Olmert cracked under pressure to respond. the ayatollahs bargained that Livni would looked tougher if Israel went to war. The last guy they want in power is Bibi.

Maybe just return the Golan Heights to Syria thus weakening Hamas? SImply try giving back the land, ALL the land outside of Israel's borders. I'm sure that'll help.

Thursday at 6 pm at Gan Soccer, Jerusalem, Israel there is to be a rally to suppor OUR IDF TROOPS! Pleae wear blue and white and bring YOUR ISRAELI FLAGS!

Everything you write is consistently wrong. It is a big achievement, don't you think?

Your remarks are not only sinister, grotesque and despicable, they are simply wrong. Never mind that Iran regularly INVADES Iraqi Kurdistan, in consort with Turkey, killing untold numbers, ostensibly to fight the PKK. The fact remains, everyone ever killed by Iran's proxies, such as Hizbullah, is a victim of Iran itself. That also goes for the Shiite militias operating in Iraq. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Who's paying you, pal?

But since EVERYTHING you have written is utterly false, I will not waste my time.

between giving the Golan Heights to Syria (which for your information, Israel is NOT required to do by international law), and weakening Hamas? As I recall, as a consequence of withdrawing from all of Gaza, dismantling settlements there, and forcing 8000 Jews there to leave their homes, Hamas became stronger, more emboldened, and more concerted in its attacks on Israel. As a consequence of Israel withdrawing from southern Lebanon to UN-verified international boundaries, the Blue Line, Hizbullah became the undisputed lords of southern Lebanon, more able and willing to attack Israel than ever before. If Israel withdraws from the Golan Heights, what as-yet-unknown Islamist terrorist group with new designs to attack Israel from a new boundary will have been created or strengthened??

Just to remind the naysayers, it was the decision of the Hamas C.E.O. Khaled Meshaal, whose headquarters are in Damascus and who consults the Iranians before making ANY decision, not to renew the ceasefire and to resume the armed conflict with Israel. After the expiration of the ceasfire, Hamas launched 100's of rockets on Israel on his orders, just as Israel was in the process of reopening its crossings with Gaza. Any conflict created as a result serves as a distraction from Iran's nuclear activities. Perhaps Iran did not expect Israel to retaliate against Hamas as hard as it did, but it had to expect a reaction.

Now who was it that withdrew from the Gaza and left greenhouses for businesses that were then destroyed? And who was it shooting missiles into civilian towns? Mike, if missiles were being shot into your neighborhood from New Jersey, would you discuss philosophy, ask for justification, or would you expect to go after the folks shooting the missiles?

I think Mike would probably base his answer on whether he'd displaced the people from where he lives, bottling them up in squalid conditions, harassing and degrading them for 60 years allowing little to no self-determination, then holding them in a siege until cholera and other terrible conditions were rife as terms of a ceasefire (while never respecting the self-same terms he gave them) and then getting all uppity about their resistance, considering it 'an existential threat to his rights as a Michaeli'... then i guess he would probably go in there and whoop 'em good!

TO DAVID OF CANBERRA Your talkback would be hysterical if it werent so pathetic. IRAN IS A FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE IN GAZA? I challenge you to write now and let us all know if they love the Gazans so much, why have they let them wallow in misery, filty, poverty and refugee camps instead of sending the money to settle them in decent homes, schools, etc. Oh I almost forgot - because they know the money would never reach the people, it all goes into the slimy pockets of HAMAS to build more rockets and obtain more ammunition to fight Israel. Please get yourself educated about the facts before you spout off more maniacal nonsense DAVE

which was illegally transferred by Krushchev to the Ukranian Socialist Republic. When Ukraine became an independent nation, it illegally incorporated the Crimea against the wishes of its inhabitants, who were supposed to be consulted. If you return Crimea to Russia, this will go a long way to curbing the hostility of the Putin administration to the Ukranian government, reduce the influence of extremists in the Kremlin, and resuming the supply of natural gas to Ukraine. Until this is done, do not preach to Israel about returning the Golan Heights to Syria, the legitimate spoils of war captured in self-defense from a nation that, in consort with others, launched 3 wars of annilihation against Israel.

From my talkbacks, and didn't prove them wrong. I believe we can agree on that, can we? And that nullifies your, "Everything you write is consistently wrong," and makes whatever you say invalid. In fact, I think this little achievement you mentioned is your doing... congratulations!

Are you realy Palestinian ? I believe it is the Iranians who are Shia, and the Palesinians Suni !

Yes, it is entirely feasible that Iran, now backing Hamas as well as Hizb'ollah, instigated the fight by providing, direclty or indirectly, weapons, men, training, and direction. They probaly had a little help from cash-starved North Korea who may have sold weapons or materials such as anti-tank missiles to Hamas or its handlers. The thing is, the war with, Gaza's Hamas distracts the world not only from Iran's nuclear weapons development, but also from other traumatized and desperately-needy places and people, such as the people in the Congo, in Darfur, in North Korea itself, in Afganistan, in Tibet, etc. But most of all, Congo and Darfur, where real genocide -- of darker-skinned people and of women and girls -- is taking place. Educate yourself at RaiseHopeForCongo and www.enough.org

dear arab and palestinian people. when one don't have nothing to say he insult the other. one have to see the real things that happend in palestina and israel, both people want peace, nad it's a fact. abu mazen is the president and hamas shuold do as he said, not iran. hamas as hizbullah want their own good, they don't care of the people of palestina or israel and it's a fact. hamas is controlling the palestinian not israel.

Israeli has been taking over & occupying Palestine land for years on behalf of their religious claim... Does it seem similar with Al-Qaeda who justifies terror for their faith? For those who exclaim that the children and women massacre is acceptable to fight back the primitive rocket barrage, whereas in fact, it was an effort to fight for freedom from colonialism, total blockade over many years and annihillation... Don't you ever learn about the history of US independence? Pls tell me...