Al-Qaida: Gaza invasion 'Obama's gift to Israel'

Al-Qaida’s number two lashed out at US president-elect Barack Obama in a new audio recording, blaming him for doing nothing to stop Israel’s offensive in Gaza, according to an intelligence monitoring centre.

The audio recording was al-Qaida’s first comments on the Gaza offensive since Israel launched it on December 27.

In the audio comments, posted on a militant website and obtained by the SITE Monitoring Service, Osama bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “crusade against Islam and Muslims” and “Obama’s gift to Israel” before he took office later this month.

“This is Obama whom the American machine of lies tried to portray as the rescuer who will change the policy of America,” al-Zawahiri said, according to Site. “He kills your brothers and sisters in Gaza mercilessly and without affection.”

Al-Zawahiri, who is Egyptian, was also critical of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, describing him as a “traitor” for keeping Egypt’s border with the militant Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip closed.

He urged Egyptians and Muslims around the world to pressure Mr Mubarak into opening the border and to take a more active role in fighting Israel. Thousands of people in cities worldwide have held mass street demonstrations to protest Israel’s offensive, but al Zawahiri said those were not enough.

“Fight the Zionist Crusader campaign,” said al-Zawahiri, according to Site. “Strike its interests everywhere you can reach them. Support and back your mujahideen brothers and children against them.”

The audio recording was accompanied by a still photograph of the al Qaida leader sitting with a gun in his lap.

The recording could not be immediately verified, but Site said it was posted on websites commonly used by Islamic militants. The recording also carried the logo for al-Qaida’s media production house, Al-Sahab.