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Last update - 07:28 31/12/2007
Olmert spokesman says Israel taking bin Laden threats seriously
By The Associated Press
Tags: Jerusalem, Al-Qaida, Iraq 

Israel on Sunday said it was taking the threats of Osama bin Laden seriously, a day after the Al-Qaida leader vowed to expand his terror group's holy war to Israel.

Most of the 56-minute audiotape tape released Saturday dealt with Iraq, but bin Laden also offered an unusually direct attack on Israel, threatening "blood for blood, destruction for destruction."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said Al-Qaida operatives have been inching closer to Israel in recent years, and Israel is aware of the danger.
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"Israel takes bin Laden's threats seriously. We have seen Al-Qaida activity to the north of Israel, in Lebanon, to the east of Israel, in Jordan, and to the south of Israel, in Sinai," he said.

"There is also evidence of Al-Qaida activities in the Palestinian territories. As a result, we will be irresponsible not to take this rhetoric seriously," he continued.

Palestinians deny that Al-Qaida operatives operate in their territories.

In the tape, Bin Laden rails against those seeking normalization with Israel.

"I would like to assure our people in Palestine that we will expand our jihad there," he said. "We intend to liberate Palestine, the whole of Palestine from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea, he said. We will not recognize even one inch for Jews in the land of Palestine, as other Muslim leaders have," bin Laden said.

Bin Laden warns Iraqi Sunnis against part in unity government

In the tape, Bin Laden warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against joining tribal councils fighting Al-Qaida or participating in any unity government.

A number of Sunni Arab tribes in Iraq's western Anbar province have formed a coalition fighting Al-Qaida-linked insurgents that U.S. officials credit for deeply reducing violence in the province. The U.S. military has been working to form similar Awakening Councils in other areas of Iraq.

In the audiotape, bin Laden denounced Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, the former leader of the Anbar Awakening Council, who was killed in a September bombing claimed by Al-Qaida.

"The most evil of the traitors are those who trade away their religion for the sake of their mortal life," bin Laden said.

Bin Laden said U.S. and Iraqi officials are seeking to set up a national unity government joining the country's Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

"Our duty is to foil these dangerous schemes, which try to prevent the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq, which would be a wall of resistance against American schemes to divide Iraq," he said.

The authenticity of the tape could not be independently confirmed. But the voice resembled that of bin Laden. The tape was posted on an Islamic militant Web site where Al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab, issues the group's messages.

The tape was the fifth message released by bin Laden this year, a flurry of activity after he went more than a year without issuing any tapes. The messages began with a September 8 video that showed bin Laden for the first time in nearly three years. The other messages this year have been audiotapes.

In an October tape, bin Laden sought to patch up splits between Iraqi insurgent factions, urging them to unite with the Islamic State of Iraq - the insurgent coalition led by Al-Qaida. He took a conciliatory stance, chiding even Al-Qaida's followers for being too extremist in their positions toward other insurgents.

Bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri took a sharper tone in a December 16 video, branding as traitors those who work with the anti-Qaida tribal councils and calling for Sunnis to purge anyone cooperating with the Americans.



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      1.   Didn`t mention the UK? 22:44  |  Paul Wood 29/12/07
      2.   Osama Scumbag 22:54  |  Lemar 29/12/07
      3.   Bin Laden, Go easy... 22:55  |  Dutch 29/12/07
      4.   Mohamed must be so angry with Osama scumbag 22:56  |  Lemar 29/12/07
      5.   Hamas and Al Qaida are brothers 22:57  |  Gina 29/12/07
      6.   well if this doesn`t do more than get zion more hysterical 23:06  |  i ain`t lying 29/12/07
      7.   Bin Laden proves Al-Qaida not based on Arab-Israeli conflict 23:07  |  Dr. L. Brnd 29/12/07
      8.   Bin Laden 23:08  |  Maki 29/12/07
      9.   Bin Laden 23:13  |  Mike 29/12/07
      10.   With Friends Like This PALS are Doomed 23:13  |  Robert 29/12/07
      11.   Yishai you made a mistake 23:21  |  Samir Salameh 29/12/07
      12.   Dutch # 4 23:27  |  alan 29/12/07
      13.   I read in an article once that Bin Laden feared being deceived 23:28  |  Virginia 29/12/07
      14.   Bin Laden. Go To Hell 23:32  |  Arab 29/12/07
      15.   re: Yishai 23:35  |  Paulo 29/12/07
      16.   re: L. Brnd 23:40  |  Paulo 29/12/07
      17.   From the PLO to Hamas to Al Kaida to....????? 23:44  |  Swiss (Dino) 29/12/07
      18.   Palestinians must wake up 23:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/12/07
      19.   Praise God, he is being resisted, and not free to roam the Earth! 23:49  |  Virginia 29/12/07
      20.   Bin Laden vows he will `expand jihad in Palestine` 23:49  |  a wandering Jew 29/12/07
      21.   While we wait for the traditional New Year message 23:54  |  A Jew 29/12/07
      22.   We hear this all the time from POOP & Co What`s the big deal? 23:56  |  Dan 29/12/07
      23.   isnt it time for a new threat ? 00:02  |  alan 30/12/07
      24.   #1 Yishai Kohen 00:06  |  Labhras 30/12/07
      25.   # 6 for that i am pro-hamas 00:08  |  Hamas 30/12/07
      26.   Arab islamists must be moved from Israel 00:12  |  Erdogan 30/12/07
      27.   the reason why al-quaida isn`t present 00:14  |  Joey 30/12/07
      28.   Excuse me? 00:19  |  Ramzi, a Palestinian 30/12/07
      29.   Organization of the Islamic Conference 00:20  |  Alain 30/12/07
      30.   Osama`s goals are clear 00:32  |  Earthling 30/12/07
      31.   Bin Laden 00:32  |  Marc 30/12/07
      32.   #9 Maki 00:34  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      33.   Dutch 00:34  |  Connie 30/12/07
      34.   #4 Dutch the anti semite 00:36  |  leo 30/12/07
      35.   Antichrist `s message for the New Year 00:38  |  Silvia 30/12/07
      36.   6. sorry braindeaad gina with you phony quotes 00:39  |  i ain`t lying 30/12/07
      37.   Warning to Bon Laden 00:40  |  leo 30/12/07
      38.   #1 your land cohen? 00:40  |  i ain`t lying 30/12/07
      39.   With all of bin Ladin`s bravado, what has he "liberated"? 00:42  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      40.   #4 Dutch 00:44  |  leo 30/12/07
      41.   .."This bad dude is loosing it ."!! 00:46  |  Stephen. 30/12/07
      42.   11. you been counting out Palestinians for a long time 00:50  |  i ain`t lying 30/12/07
      43.   11 robert 00:56  |  dan 30/12/07
      44.   He Can`t "Free" Himself, Let Alone "Palestine" 00:56  |  dyinglikeflies 30/12/07
      45.   Dutch, I have a similar proposition 01:01  |  Dan 30/12/07
      46.   #7 - you think this is news? 01:03  |  Steve 30/12/07
      47.   bin laden 01:04  |  geroge 30/12/07
      48.   Let the idiot rant on.... 01:14  |  Silvienne 30/12/07
      49.   Palestinian support of Al-Qaeda? 01:16  |  Awake 30/12/07
      50.   The Iraq Pattern 01:16  |  Mark of Lewiston 30/12/07
      51.   interesting 01:20  |  rich 30/12/07
      52.   Dutch: Such A Softy 01:23  |  Tex 30/12/07
      53.   Bin Laden bad boy for Islam and Palestine 01:32  |  Believer 30/12/07
      54.   Yishai Kohen 01:35  |  David King 30/12/07
      55.   Missing the point - it`s about Saudi Arabia & Hamas 01:38  |  David 30/12/07
      56.   Osama bin Laden: Evil Islamo- Anti-Semite 01:45  |  David James Vickery 30/12/07
      57.   Bin Laden disappoints me 01:51  |  Christian from USA 30/12/07
      58.   The real question is - what will Abbas do about this? 01:55  |  Jon 30/12/07
      59.   Bin laden back from where? 02:03  |  Isca 30/12/07
      60.   Bin Laden! 02:10  |  Al 30/12/07
      61.   READ THIS 02:12  |  Ben Adam 30/12/07
      62.   expand 02:24  |  Shmuelshachor 30/12/07
      63.   Entire conflict explained in less than 20 lines 02:27  |  G. Marcus 30/12/07
      64.   Hamas and Al Queda are one organization with different names 02:39  |  Voice of Reason 30/12/07
      65.   Voice of Reason -- You are Correct 02:58  |  Gina 30/12/07
      66.   When Israel will understand this conflict is relegated into 02:59  |  Akram Zekaria 30/12/07
      67.   This doesn`t sound good for either Israel, nor the Palestinians 03:11  |  POP 30/12/07
      68.   to#58 VoR 03:13  |  schafe82 30/12/07
      69.   Let`s say for arugment sake bin laden was successful in Palestine 03:17  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      70.   #43 AWAKE, 03:23  |  Stephen. 30/12/07
      71.   #58 Voice of reason - you are WRONG ! 03:24  |  Nathan 30/12/07
      72.   alan 13 03:49  |  realism 30/12/07
      73.   #68 POP that`s the first intelligent post you`ve made 03:56  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      74.   Ben Laden Go to hell! 03:59  |  An Algerian 30/12/07
      75.   Bin Laden will break his teeth on our rocks 04:07  |  Gili 30/12/07
      76.   LET HIM KEEP TALKING 04:07  |  TOBIA 30/12/07
      77.   #16 Paulo 04:11  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      78.   Bin Laden 04:13  |  Marc 30/12/07
      79.   Bin Laden Jihad Expansion 04:28  |  Brod 30/12/07
      80.   Like An Infection 04:32  |  Dave Levy