14th
January 2009
Al Qaeda boss Osama bin
Laden says the decline of America's dominance on the
world stage was one of the main factors which prompted
Israel to launch its offensive in Gaza.
"The great and swift decline in America's influence is
one of the most important motivations for Israelis to
wage such a barbaric attack on Gaza, in a bid to try and
make use of the last days of (President) Bush's mandate
and the neo-conservatives," he says.
The message was
delivered in a speech downloaded Wednesday by CBS
News from a Web site frequently used to disseminate
al Qaeda propaganda. The audio was produced by al
Qaeda's media wing, as-Sahab.
It was impossible to confirm the authenticity of the
recording, but the voice appeared to be that of the
terror group's leader. The audio has not been heard
before. The last known audio address from bin Laden was
released on May 18, 2008.
"It appears this tape
demonstrates his isolation and continued attempts to
remain relevant,"
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Wednesday.
The audio, about 22 minutes long, is titled: "A Call for
Jihad to Stop the Aggression on Gaza. The message of
Sheikh Osama Bin Laden to the Muslim Ummah."
"Israelis are in a rush to get rid of their enemies in
Gaza, and replace them with (Palestinian President
Mahmoud) Abbas and his administration, in order for him
to protect their backs. They thus carried out this
horrific butchery before the end of Bush's term in
office before the American weakness shows even more."
Its release came on the 19th day of Israel's military
campaign in the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas militants,
which Palestinian doctors say has left 940 people dead,
less than half of whom were combatants.
Bin Laden says Mr. Bush has left President-elect Barack
Obama with "two bitter choices," and wonders aloud
whether the next American leader will be able to keep up
the fight against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
"Can America keep up the war with us for more decades to
come? All reports and analysis indicate that this is not
possible. In fact, 75 percent of American people are
happy with the departure of the president who got them
into wars they could not possibly win."
Bin Laden goes on to say President Bush "drowned" the
American people in economic woes and "left his successor
a difficult legacy, and left him one of two bitter
choices… The worst heritage is when a man inherits a
long guerrilla warfare with a persevering, patient enemy
- a war that is funded by usury. If he (Obama) withdraws
from the war, that would be a military defeat, and if he
goes on with it, he'll drown in economic crisis."
The terrorist leader calls for
Jihad, saying it is the only way to defeat the
"Zionists" and liberate the Gaza Strip.
Bin Laden calls on Muslims worldwide to support the
cause, and reissues his plea for donations. "Your duty
is to support the Mujahideen with money and men. I have
experienced Jihad myself and I know how costly it can
be. The Zakat (tithe) of one affluent Muslim merchant is
enough to finance all the Jihadi front against our
enemies."
Bin Laden said the current global situation offered a
good opportunity to purge Muslim countries of Western
influence. "Oh, Muslim Ummah (nation), those wars and
crisis represent a great opportunity, and wise men would
not let it slip away from them. You have a great chance
now to overthrow the injustice and the tyranny that has
overwhelmed you for decades."
Bin Laden closed his speech by addressing Palestinians
in Gaza. "My brothers in Palestine, you have suffered a
lot, and your fathers before you, for nine whole
decades. Muslims sympathize with you, for what they see
and hear. We, the Mujahideen, sympathize with you, too,
much more than anyone else… Because the Mujahideen lead
the same kind of life that you lead; they are bombed the
same way you are bombed, from the same airplanes, they
lose their children just like you do."
Also in the address, bin Laden predicts that Mr. Obama
will be unable to solve the economic problems facing
America.
Quoting Mr. Obama's vice-presidential pick, Joe Biden,
bin Laden says, "Here’s Biden, the deputy of the newly
elected president, saying: 'The crisis is even worse
than we expected, and the entire American economy is in
peril.'”
It was the latest attack on Mr. Obama by an al Qaeda
figurehead. Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri,
accused Mr. Obama of standing behind the "massacre
of Gaza" in an
audio released earlier this month.
Bin Laden also taunts President Bush over his pledge to
abolish terrorism and kill or arrest terrorist leaders -
a promise the outgoing American president couldn't keep,
according to the al Qaeda chief.
"A group of your sons declared Jihad on that single
power, the Hitler of our time," bin Laden said. "We thus
broke its horn, struck his fortress and demolished his
tower. He thus became enraged and said he would bring
the leaders of the Mujahideen, dead or alive, to regain
America's stature in the world and set it as an example
for everybody."
Prior to the release of the bin Laden communication, Mr.
Bush was asked Tuesday on CNN's Larry King Live if the
U.S. will ever find the al Qaeda chief.
"Absolutely," Mr. Bush said, adding, "He can't run
forever." Pressed to answer whether U.S. forces ever
came close to bin Laden, the president said,
"I really don't know."
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