Al-Qa’eda No 2 Gives Backing to Hamas, By Tim Butcher, Telegraph, December 20, 2006

  • 0

Al-Qa’eda has stepped into the Palestinian crisis with a call for holy war to support Hamas, the militant Islamist movement.

Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri in a previous video appearance

In a videotaped statement broadcast on al-Jazeera, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qa’eda’s deputy leader, embraced the cause of Hamas in its opposition to early elections being held in the West Bank and Gaza, an issue that has sparked fierce fighting with Fatah.

“Any way other than holy war will lead us only to loss and defeat,” he said.

“Those who are trying to liberate the Islamic territories through elections based on secular constitutions, or on decisions to hand over Palestine to the Jews, will not liberate one grain of sand of Palestine.”

Coming just three days after Tony Blair gave his backing to the early poll plan of Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader and president of the Palestinian National Authority, it threatened to open a new front in the West’s clash with al Qa’eda.

America has already begun moves to arm Fatah, by preparing to train and equip members of the president’s bodyguard force.

Washington has justified the move on the grounds of improving security in Gaza to allow Israel to relax its tight control over the region, although many observers believe the arms will simply fuel more fighting with Hamas.

Al-Qa’eda has tried repeatedly to infiltrate Palestinian militant groups fighting Israeli occupation but has been so far unsuccessful.

The issue of early polls might be the trigger for greater al-Qa’eda activity in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At least twelve Palestinians have died in clashes this week since Mr Abbas announced his plan to bring forward both parliamentary and presidential elections.

While he presented it as a daring plan to break the deadlock between the Hamas controlled parliament and the Fatah controlled presidency, Hamas has denounced the plan as an attempted coup.

Two attempts to broker a ceasefire between the two sides and end the bloodshed and chaos in Gaza have both failed.

Al-Qa’eda No 2 Gives Backing to Hamas, By Tim Butcher, Telegraph, December 20, 2006

  • 0
AUTHOR

SPME

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) is not-for-profit [501 (C) (3)], grass-roots community of scholars who have united to promote honest, fact-based, and civil discourse, especially in regard to Middle East issues. We believe that ethnic, national, and religious hatreds, including anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism, have no place in our institutions, disciplines, and communities. We employ academic means to address these issues.

Read More About SPME


Read all stories by SPME