Recent communications from Al-Qaeda show an intensified focus upon Israel, with attempts to scare the American public into abandoning its support of the Jewish State having become a recurring theme.
Osama Bin Laden released a statement last month addressing the American public prior to the U.S. elections. Though excerpts of the statement appeared in the Western press, the full text was not widely publicized for fear that it included coded messages to operatives. The following are excerpts of Bin Laden's October 29th statement, translated by MEMRI:
"O American people, I address these words to you regarding the best way of avoiding another Manhattan, and regarding the war, its causes and its consequences, Bin Laden said. "I say to you, as Allah is my witness: We had not considered attacking the towers, but things reached the breaking point when we witnessed the iniquity and tyranny of the American-Israeli coalition against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, then I got this idea.
The Al-Qaeda chief went on to explain how American support for Israel directly led to his murder of Americans:
"The events that had a direct influence on me occurred in 1982, and the subsequent events, when the US permitted the Israelis to invade Lebanon with the aid of the American 6th Fleet. They started shelling, and many were killed and wounded, while others were terrorized into fleeing. In those critical moments, I was overwhelmed by ideas that are hard to describe, but they awakened a powerful impulse to reject injustice and gave birth to a firm resolve to punish the oppressors.
"As I was looking at those destroyed towers in Lebanon, I was struck by the idea of punishing the oppressor in the same manner and destroying towers in the US, to give it a taste of what we have tasted and to deter it from killing our children and women.
On February 11, 2003, Bin Laden released a vehemently anti-Israel statement to Al-Jazeera:
"We are following up with great interest and extreme concern the crusaders' preparations for war to occupy a former capital of Islam, loot Muslims' wealth, and install an agent government, which would be a satellite for its masters in Washington and Tel Aviv, just like all the other treasonous and agent Arab governments. This would be in preparation for establishing the Greater Israel.
"...We stress the importance of the martyrdom operations against the enemy operations that inflicted harm on the United States and Israel that have been unprecedented in their history, thanks to [Allah].
"Allah says: 'O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians [emphasis added - ed.] for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other.' And he amongst you that turns to them [for friendship] is of them."
In earlier Al-Qaeda statements, US support for Israel was only referred to as one of many perceived injustices on the part of America. For instance, the terrorist organization demanded in October 2001 that the US "retreat in defeat in Afghanistan, stop your assistance to the Jews in Palestine, end the siege imposed on the Iraqi people, leave the Arabian Peninsula, and stop your support for the Hindus against the Muslims in Kashmir."
As noted, however, more recent communiques from the terror group have increasingly featured Israel as the main target. A videotape recorded before the American election but broadcast just two days ago (Monday) on the Al-Jazeera Arab satellite station is a prime example. The tape features Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman Al-Dhawahiri telling Americans that it did not matter whether they voted for a Republican or Democratic candidate, because both were guilty of supporting Israel's existence.
"The two US presidential candidates are challenging each other to satisfy Israel," Al-Dhawahiri said, "to continue a crime against the Islamic nation in Palestine that began 87 years ago."
Al-Qaeda has been implicated in several attacks or attempted attacks against Jewish targets. In September 2003, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon mentioned plans by Al Qaeda to hijack a Saudi Arabian fighter jet and crash it into a major office tower in Israel. Earlier that year, police in Thailand nipped in the bud an Al-Qaeda shooting attack against El Al passengers in the Bangkok airport. In April 2003, it was reported that Al-Qaeda terrorists planned to fire a Strella-2 anti-aircraft missile at an El Al airliner landing in London's Heathrow International Airport. In October 2003, two Iranians with ties to Al-Qaeda were deported from Great Britain after they were caught photographing synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.