New warning from al-Qaida deputy
Thursday, 05 Jun 2008 14:12
Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims to launch a holy war in Gaza
Al-Qaida's second-in-command has called on Muslims to launch a holy war to break
Israel's economic blockade of the Gaza strip in a new audio recording.
The tape was posted on an Islamic internet site on Wednesday and features Ayman al-Zawahiri talking for 11 minutes.
During the recording he claims "salvation of the Muslim nation is through the march of its sons on the path of jihad".
The message, titled "In Memory of the Naksa… Break the Siege of Gaza", was apparently released to mark the 41st anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Mr al-Zawahiri said that the Arab governments were "impotent and unable to protect the Muslim nation, its sanctuaries and its wealth".
"The sons of the nation should break the shackles of the treacherous regimes and move to wage jihad, which has become a duty," he added.
He also attacks the Egyptian authorities for sealing their border with Gaza.
The al-Qaida deputy told residents of Gaza: "You have the right to enter Egypt whenever you like and destroy the treacherous siege.
"Those who confront you should not blame anyone but themselves."
On May 18th, Osama Bin Laden released a recording which criticised Arab nations for not attacking Israel.