Obama stayed on the golf course - well, yes of course he did, not sure if you realise it. He's not President of the USA, George W. Bush is - there can only be one US President at a time. Obama becomes POTUS later this month, then George W. Bush will not be president, and I'm sure will fix everything.

"They talk about justice for all? Yeh ... and pigs might fly." Who says justice for all - so what should the Israelis who get showered with rockets every day get?

You reap what you sow.

Israel's 'disproportionate' use of force

Way to spout the party line and dump all journalistic integrity. Does it make sense that Israel should fire rockets haphazardly at Gazan towns? Send suicide bombers to blow themselves up at weddings, teenage clubs and cafes? What is proportionate when you have an enemy that targets civilians? Does any international text require proportionate responses to unilateral attacks on a sovereign nation?

Of course Aussie and US leaders want to be seen with Israelis - the rest of the world is so blinded by Arab oil that they cannot appreciate the social, technological, and political innovations that stemmed from a country which, from its inception, has been thwarting off enemies.

What Crap,

I like Obama, in fact i donated to his campaign, but the fact is that his passing the buck was a cop out as he does not want to enter the chair with stances on issues that have already degraded him with the rest of the world or part of it.

I bet he was thinking lucky he was not in the hotseat yet and had to take a position, he will let George get everyone off side and he will try and remain the golden boy for as long as possible. America needs him to. He will most likely go down the line of following what bush will do with the defence that he should not change track once his country has made its position, again insulating him.

Its terrible whats happening, but if next door threw stones over my fence all day especially whn we are in agreement to stop, eventually i would get the shivs too, and eventually, if there is no other way, i would have to act. It is better they go hard and sort it out than do it in dribs and drabs and achieve nothing. i dont blame the israelis for doing something about it, and tell me, what other options could they implement to get results?

The usual rubbish from Barns that nobody of any importance takes notice of.

Thank you Greg for saying the obvious about the hypocrisy over support for Hamas over the view of support for Israel (and indeed the present US policy). The strangling of the resources, the theft of land and farm land in particular by the construction of the Wall, the closing of gates and the use of checkpoints and the blowing up of a tunnel, and the continued refusal of Israel to negotiate a just resolution were all acts of aggression that preceded the Hamas response that became Israel's excuse for invasion.

However ---- I do think that it is easy to focus on the response of a prospective leader's view. The difference between the golf games of Bush and Obama is that Bush was playing golf while he was president. Obama has not taken the role yet. He has not the luxury of comment and rhetoric like many who either support or oppose Israel have; he will be a player. You may well be right; things may not change. But the way to measure the views of anyone is not to judge then for what they may or may not say but look at what they do.

Claire O'Connor

Right on target Greg.Well said!

Clearly, the reality is that President Bush has decided to devote the remaining last days of his bloodstained Presidency to that clutch of Israeli politicians who are battling each other with an eye to becoming Prime Minister at the upcoming election.That Gaza is being battered to pieces is of no consequence to them. The scoffed at denial by Israeli Forein Minister of a human catastrophe in Gaza gathers ridicule by the day. The Chinese leadership has just ridiculed it...and that will surely find an echo soon in Canberra!

Australians from coast to coast will today be applauding those Australian Jews who have stood up in our midst to publicly condemn the horrendous and completely unjustifiable Israeli military assaults on a defenceless Gaza.

The Pope should consider cancelling his planned visit to Israel and instead opt for a visit to the ruins of Gaza.The Israelis say they have no plans to occupy it....who would with its infrastructure shattered...its sewage running onto the streets and power and water denied?. Actually, it would be good to see some of the Israeli leaders forced to live there.

Others might consider throwing shoes at both the US and Israeli embassies in Canberra as a mark of global disgust while those in the US should consider throwing shoes at the gates of the White House.

As I've said before,the suicide bombing and the rocketting of Israel can be stopped oh so simply. All that's required is that the US happily supply the Palestinians with warplanes, missiles, naval gunboats and combat choppers with the same readiness that they do to the Israelis.

Brian Haill