Bin Laden: “US Must eliminate the Israel Lobby to end war”

by | Sep 14, 2009 | Stress Blog | 6 comments

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 the 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 other wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He begins by insisting that the “American people needs to know the causes that are costing 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).

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 “Americans’ support to their allies the Israelis. He added that there were also other injustices caused by the US, as well. Such an 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 on the specific support to Israel. Hence, one can see a shift in al Qaeda’s strategic communications. We’ll come back to this point.

Osama then said “our two Umma (meaning the 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 mercenary 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 interest 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 immediately into “Obama is weak.” In fact it 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: 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 aim 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 the more anti-Israel pressure elements to pressure the US President 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 and its advisors, some of whom we can detect are operating from within the American political culture. More analysis will be added in the second version of the speech ongoing evaluation.

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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.

September 14, 2009 01:20 AM Print