Reports: Bin Laden to release speech for Israel anniversary

Al-Qaeda leader to release new audio-video speech titled ' Causes of Conflict on 60th Anniversary of Establishment of State of Israeli Occupation' within 72 hours. 'In recent years Bin Laden has more closely wedded himself to the Palestinian issue,' head of Islamic website monitoring service says
News agencies

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will release a new audio-video message to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel, US groups monitoring Islamist websites said Thursday.

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The speech, which is addressed to the people of the West, is expected to be released within 72 hours, IntelCenter said, adding that its upcoming release was announced by Al-Qaeda's media arm, As-Sahab.

The speech is titled "The Causes of Conflict on the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of the State of Israeli Occupation," according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Laura Mansfield, head of the US-based Internet monitors, said bin Laden "seems to be shifting gears" over the last decade. "In his initial messages, bin Laden's focus was on the removal of US forces from (Saudi Arabia) but in recent years he has more closely wedded himself to the Palestinian issue," she said.

Bin Laden last issued a message on March 20, urging Muslims to support the insurgency in Iraq as the best way to support the Palestinians, and accusing Arab leaders of backing Israeli attacks on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip

Bin Laden has claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people and prompted the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Despite a massive manhunt and a 25-million-dollar bounty on his head, he has evaded capture and has regularly taunted the United States and its allies through warnings issued via video and audio, mainly on the Internet.

Israel proclaimed its independence on May 14, 1948, which it consolidated in a brief war with its neighbors that led to the expulsion or flight of some 700,000 Palestinians.