DUBAI:Osama bin Laden vowed in an audio tape to mark Israel's 60th anniversary by continuing the fight against the Jewish state and its allies in the West.
The al-Qaeda leader, who has placed growing emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said it was at the heart of the Muslim battle with the West and an inspiration to the 19 bombers who carried out the attacks on US cities on September 11th, 2001.
"We will continue, God permitting, the fight against the Israelis and their allies . . . and will not give up a single inch of Palestine as long as there is one true Muslim on Earth," he said yesterday.
Bin Laden said Israel's anniversary celebrations were a reminder that it did not exist 60 years ago, and had been established on land seized from Palestinians by force. "This is evidence that Palestine is our land, and the Israelis are invaders and occupiers who should be fought."
The Saudi-born militant said that decades of peace initiatives had failed to establish a Palestinian state, and the West had proved time and again that it sided with Israel. - (Reuters)