Bin Laden message: Stop 'aggression' against Gaza



Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has apparently released a new audio message calling for a jihad, or holy war, against Israel for its Gaza campaign.

The 22-minute message contains "an invitation" from bin Laden to take part in "jihad to stop the aggression against Gaza." The audio message was posted on a radical Islamist Web site which has posted other statements from bin Laden in the past.

CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of the message, but the speaker's voice was similar to other recordings that bin Laden has made. While not naming President-elect Barack Obama, bin Laden refers to the future of the United States in the face of the current global economic crisis.


"Now America is begging the world for money and the United States will not be as powerful as it used to be," bin Laden said. "This rapid failing for America was one of the reasons that the Israelis started their attacks against Gaza and just to make use of what's left of the Bush term."White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the message "demonstrates [bin Laden's] isolation and continued attempts to remain relevant at a time when al Qaeda's ideology, mission, and agenda are being questioned and challenged throughout the world."


He noted that the message also appears to be "an effort to raise money as part of [al Qaeda's] ongoing propaganda campaign."

"The United States promotes an alternative, hopeful ideology while continuing to partner with over 90 countries to pursue terrorists wherever they are," Johndroe said.

The last time bin Laden released an audio message was in mid-May, timed to coincide with Israel's 60th anniversary. That message urged his followers to liberate Palestine.

Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza on December 27 to stop Hamas rocket strikes on southern Israel. The death toll in Gaza was nearing 1,000 on Wednesday, including more than 300 children, according to Palestinian medical sources.


The Israeli toll stood at 13, including three civilians, according to Israeli police and military officials. Bin Laden, who is about 51, is the head of the al Qaeda terrorist network, which was responsible for the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States that killed 2,751 people. He's been in hiding since the U.S. assault on Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. government is offering a $25 million reward for information leading to his capture. President Bush, whose term ends next week, told CNN's Larry King on Tuesday that he remains optimistic that bin Laden would be found.


Asked by King, "Are we ever going to find bin Laden?" Bush replied: "Yes, of course, absolutely. We've got a lot of people out there looking for him, a lot of assets. You can't run forever." The message is important to the incoming U.S. president because it signifies that bin Laden is still "out there," said Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana who served on both the congressional and the presidential September 11 commissions.


"It's a reminder of President-elect Obama's inheritance of some of the difficult problems out there that he has to confront," said Roemer, who is president of the Center for National Policy. "Al Qaeda is trying to be relevant with this tape," Roemer said. "They seek competition with Hamas, Hezbollah, the ongoing battle between Israel and the Palestinians. ...


"This reminds us of what bin Laden said right after 9/11. He said it wasn't 19 Arab armies or 19 Arab states that attacked the United States. It was 19 post-graduate students. It reminds us how much the world has changed, and how many different threats are out there today."