Israel Matzav

Osama bin Laden on Gaza, Iraq and Europe's Mohamed cartoons

There are apparently two different 'excerpts' of Osama Bin Laden's latest 'audio message' floating around the web, or maybe there really are two separate messages. In one of them, which was released Thursday by al-Jazeera, he talks about fighting for Gaza and with al-Qaeda in Iraq. In the other, which was released on Wednesday (ignore the date on it), he talks about Europe. Here's part of the Al-AP report on Thursday's Gaza and Iraq tape (via JPost). Read it and then watch the video below: The two don't sound the same. After that, I will have the video of what he said about Europe and the Mohamed cartoons.

Pan-Arab Al-Jazeera TV on Thursday broadcast what it described as excerpts from a new audio tape by Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader slammed Palestinian negotiations with Israel and urged holy war for the liberation of Palestine.

In the audio excerpts broadcast by the Doha, Qatar-based television, bin Laden said that "Palestine cannot be retaken by negotiations and dialogue, but with fire and iron."

Bin Laden also called on Palestinians who are unable to fight in the "land of Al-Quds" - a Muslim reference to Jerusalem - to join the al-Qaida fight and the holy war, or jihad, in Iraq.

"The nearest field of jihad today to support our people in Palestine is the Iraqi field," bin Laden said.

"We tell our brothers in Palestine who could not join the jihad in the land of Al-Quds, to get rid of illusions of political parties and groups which are mired in trickery of the blasphemous democracy and to take their positions among the ranks of the mujahideen in Iraq," he said.

Such a Palestinian fight in Iraq should be "concentrated on and supported by all Muslims, specially from neighboring countries," bin Laden added and also called on people of Syria, Lebanon Jordan and Saudi Arabia to "help in support of their mujahedeen brothers in Iraq, which is the greatest opportunity and the biggest task."

In the tape broadcast on Al-Jazeera, bin Laden said the sufferings of the Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip began when treacherous Arab leaders began supporting the US-hosted Mideast peace conference in Annapolis and the "Zionist entity."

The mention of by bin Laden of the Annapolis, Maryland, summit last November was the only time reference given in the audio.

"By their support, they are considered partners to this horrible crime," bin Laden said of Arab leaders who have backed the Mideast peace talks.

"Palestine will not return to us with the negotiations by the submissive rulers, their conferences nor by demonstrations and elections," he said. "Palestine will come back to us if we awaken from our ignorance and adhere to our religion and sacrifice our lives and means to it."

The message was the first time bin Laden spoke of the Palestinian question at length.

Her appeared to be seeking to merge the Palestinian cause into the wider al-Qaida struggle.

"My nation," bin Laden addressed his followers, "You have a great opportunity to regain your freedom and get out of being a follower of this Zionist-crusade alliance and to do this, you have to free yourself from the chains of humiliation thrown on us by the agents of this alliance, the rulers of our countries."

Here's Thursday's tape.



And here's Wednesday's tape. Note that Bin Laden is threatening Europe over the Mohamed cartoons while Europe continues to pretend that the only problem in this region is the 'Palestinian' problem. The introduction is from MEMRI.

On March 20, 2008, Islamist websites, including Al-Ikhlas, posted an Al-Sahab audio message by Osama bin Laden, in which he threatens Europe for republishing the Muhammad cartoons.

In the message, bin Laden states that the republishing of the cartoons was part of a "new Crusade in which the pope has played a significant role," and that the Europeans' offense of defaming the Prophet is even graver than their crime of killing innocent Muslim women and children.

Addressing the Europeans, he threatens: "The response is what you see, not what you hear, and may our mothers mourn us if we fail to come to the aid of Allah's Messenger."

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:12 AM