Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden lashed out at Arab leaders for sacrificing the Palestinians in a new message released Sunday and he
called on Muslim militants in Egypt to help break the blockade of Gaza.
"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 in the audio message posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al-Qaida leaders issue their statements.
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Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is one of the holiest sites for
Muslims.
Israel and Egypt have closed their borders with Gaza since the Islamic
militant group Hamas violently seized control of the Palestinian territory in June of last year.
The closure has deepened economic hardship in the already impoverished strip where 1.4 million Palestinians live.
"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.
He urged Muslim militants in Egypt to try to end the closure.
They are the only ones close to its borders and they must work on breaking this blockade, he said.
In his last message, posted on Friday to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, Bin Laden vowed to continue fighting Israel and its allies in the West.
"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," the Saudi-born al-Qaida leader said.
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," he said.
In a message on March 20, he urged Muslims to maintain the struggle against U.S. forces in Iraq as a path toward "liberating Palestine."
Al-Qaida has vowed attacks on Jews both inside and outside Israel and regularly expresses support for the Palestinians.
The Saudi-born militant leader was based in Afghanistan until its Taliban rule was overthrown by U.S.-led forces in 2001 after the September 11 attacks.
Since then, U.S. and Pakistani officials have said they believe he and his top aide Ayman al-Zawahri are hiding somewhere on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Al Qaeda says it seeks to punish Washington and its allies for bias toward Israel at the expense of Muslims' interests and their "crusades" in Muslim countries - the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
