Bin Laden asks Muslims to fight Gaza closure

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has called on Muslims worldwide to help end the Israeli closure of the Islamist Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, according to an audio tape posted on the Internet on Sunday.

The speaker, whose voice resembled bin Laden's earlier recordings, said it was the religious duty of every Muslim to fight Israel's "oppressive closure" of Gaza. He also lashed out at Arab leaders for ''sacrificing'' the Palestinians.

''Each one of us is responsible for the death of our vulnerable people in Gaza where scores have died because of the blockade,'' bin Laden said.

Bin Laden called Arab leaders ''agents of the crusaders'' and ''wolves'' in the message, portraying the citizens of Arab nations as herds of sheep who have been handed over to the wolves to look after them.

''Every day, the herd wishes the wolves would stop preying on it,'' he said.

''Those (Arab) kings and leaders sacrificed Palestine and Al-Aqsa to keep their crowns. ... But we will not be relieved of this responsibility,'' bin Laden said, referring to Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City

The tape was posted on the day President George W. Bush ended a visit to the Middle East that he hopes will contribute to a peace settlement between Palestinians and Israelis by the end of his presidency in January.

The Islamist website advertised bin Laden's tape earlier in the day, describing it as a "very strong" statement to Muslims from "the lion of Islam, Sheikh Osama bin Laden."

The announcement came two days after an audio message posted on the Internet in which bin Laden slammed Western leaders for taking part in Israel's 60th birthday celebrations.

"The participation of Western leaders with the Jews in this celebration confirms that the West supports this ugly Jewish occupation of our lands and that they stand in the Israelis' trench against us," he said on Friday.

Bin Laden vowed that Muslims would battle on for Palestine.

"We will continue the fight against the Israelis and their allies... and we will not give up one inch of Palestine, God willing, as long as there is one sincere Muslim on this earth."

"Bush's promises to (set up a Palestinian) state in the full sense of the word are empty promises," bin Laden said in Friday's message.

In a previous message on March 20, bin Laden urged Muslims to support the insurgency in Iraq as the best way to help the Palestinians, and accused Arab leaders of backing Israeli attacks on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

AFP and Reuters contributed to this report