Bin Laden: "US Must eliminate the Israel Lobby to end war" By Walid Phares

Bin Laden: "US Must eliminate the Israel Lobby to end war"
By Walid Phares

UBL Sept 09.jpg

In a 12 minutes address via an audio tape, al Qaeda's chief, Osama bin Laden, spoke to the American people on the eighth anniversary of 9/11. The tape was produced by as-Sahab propaganda arm posted on various Jihadists forums tonight. His address directed "to the American People" asserted that the main reason for the al-Qaeda’s attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, was US support to Israel as well as “some other injustices.” Interestingly Osama claimed the war between the two "nations" i.e the American nation and the Islamic Umma, can stop if the White House eliminated what he coined as the "Israel Lobby." He accused the latter of pushing for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He begins by insisting that Americans needs to know the real causes for this war "which costing you dearly in blood and wealth. The (past Bush) White House convinced you that this war (Afghanistan) is necessary for your security." The sentence used by Bin Laden can also mean the Obama Administration as the President has used the term "war of necessity," in the past few weeks. Bin Laden asked Americans to hear "both sides" (a concept taken from American political discourse and rarely referred to in Jihadist literature).

Over-stressing the Israel factor unusually, Bin Laden reminded his audience that for two decades he had claimed that the main cause for his attacks is "America's support to its allies the Israelis". He added that there were also other injustices caused by the US, as well. Such an over-assertion is new in al Qaeda narrative, for in most previous speeches, including his declarations of war of 1996 and 1998, Israel was only one and not the main root cause for the Terror he unleashed since. His speeches during the fall of 2001 (all available online and in print) focused on the evil nature of American policies rather than only the specific support to Israel. Hence, one can see a shift in al Qaeda's strategic communications. We'll come back to this point.

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Osama then said "our two Umma (meaning America and the Muslim world) are both victims" of one aggressor, that is in his words, those "who control the White House, particularly the Israeli Lobby and the multinational corporations." He endorsed two books for Americans to understand how these lobbies control the White House. "A book by a former CIA agent who apologized for his crimes as a hit man, which most likely could be John Perkins's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man; and another book titled the Israel Lobby by professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt." He claimed that these two books "will give you the truth."

Bin Laden praised US President Obama for having "admitted at last in his speech in Cairo, the existence of our people's miseries." He also praised "former President Carter's statements about the Palestinians during his last visit in Gaza, and particularly his statements on Israel's racism."

"Those who are stating from the White House that the war in Afghanistan is one of necessity, are like Bush; they represent the interests of the corporations." He declared that the authors of statements are the ones responsible for the War not the Mujahidin. "The White House is occupied by pressure groups," he said. "You Americans must liberate the White House from these groups." Pushing the drama, Bin Laden added that "any leader of the White House (President) is set on tracks he can't leave. This President has become like a train set to move in a particular direction. He must accept these pressures otherwise his fate (the President) could be like President Kennedy or his brother (Robert)."

He called on Americans "to free themselves from the intellectual terror of the neo cons and the Israel lobby." He asked them to review their alliance with Israel. "Is your security and well being worth sacrificing for Israel's security." He added that polls shows that Americans are opposed to wars and thus they must act against those "who threaten our security," meaning Israel.

Then Bin Laden makes an offer: "We are ready to accept talking about ending this war." However he believes that President Obama won't be able to meet that challenge. "Obama is a Mustad'aaf." In some of the releases and analysis in English the term was translated automatically into "Obama is weak." In fact such translation is not accurate. Istidaaf means he has been rendered weaker. In other word he has been weaken -by forces around him- Mustdaa'f here means "victimized."

He goes on to explain how the weakening of Obama has been taking place. "He maintained the men of Bush and Cheney in power: Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and General Petraeus." Osama said "Obama can't stop the war with these men in charge. "He should have appointed generals who were against the war like General Sanchez and Admiral Fallon."

He tells Americans that if they can stop the war, "that is fine, if not the Jihadists will continue this war of attrition as they did with the USSR for ten years leading to its collapse." This war you are waging, "is already lost."

Then Bin Laden goes on to claim that his war against the United States led to a major economic crisis, debts which in turn created the meltdown.

The speech, per a first reading aims at creating confusion among Americans by announcing that the war can be really ended via accepting al Qaeda's conditions. But among the messages Bin Laden is sending, is an attempt to create division within the Obama Administration by stimulating those he believes are anti-Israel to pressure the US President in order to curtail the influence of the so-called Israel Lobby inside the White House and within the Administration.

There is without any doubt a shift in the strategic communications of al Qaeda. The latter's advisors, some of whom we can detect are operating from within the American political culture, have convinced Bin Laden (assuming it is voice on the tape) that it would be strategically preferable to single out one issue, the US-Israel relations, and try to break it by putting Americans in general and perhaps some in the Administration, under pressure: the offer is that the entire War on Terror could end from al Qaeda's side if Washington would let go of its alliance with Israel. This is why I found that this tape, unlike any previous one, shows a non traditional al Qaeda approach. It could even signifies that a possible re-alignment has been taking place between various forces of Jihadism in the Greater Middle East.

This tape deserves more attention than the previous ones and more analysis will be added in the near future.

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Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of the War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracies.

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September 14, 2009 01:20 AM Link
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/09/bin_laden_us_must_eliminate_th.php