Posted on 12/26/2001 12:38:08 PM PST by madrussian
LONDON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), the world's most wanted man, said on a video broadcast by al-Jazeera satellite television on Wednesday that the September 11 suicide attacks were intended to stop U.S. support for Israel.
``Our terrorism against the United States is worthy of praise to deter the oppressor so that America stop its support for Israel, which is killing our children,'' the bearded, Saudi-born fugitive said.
He added that the tape was being issued to mark about three months since the attacks on New York and Washington and two months after the United States began its bombing of Afghan targets.
The remarks indicated the tape was recorded in early to mid December.
Looking tired but calm, bin Laden was dressed in a clean, camouflage-patterned combat jacket. He sat against a cloth or canvas screen, his Russian-designed submachinegun propped beside him. There was no indication where he was when he recorded the video.
To throw a monkeywrench into some of the discussions here, when has Al-Qaeda ever attakced an Israeli target? They got embassies too, for example. What does that tell you about Osama?
I like your approach - whatever the SOB (or anyone like him) wants do the opposite, in spades.
Reuters rejects as utterly baseless an allegation being circulated by e-mail and the Internet claiming that it circulated 10-year-old videotape to illustrate Palestinians celebrating in the wake of the September 11 tragedies in the United States.
RESOURCES
CNN statement about false claim it used old video
Reuters welcomes a statement by the Universidad Estatal de Campinas-Brasil (UNICAMP), one of whose students was the author of the original e-mail, setting the record straight.
The videotape in question was shot in East Jerusalem by a Reuters camera crew on September 11 in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on the United States. The footage was broadcast by CNN and other subscribers to the Reuters video news service.
They are still dancing. Figuratively.
Just last week one the networks interviewed Mid-east "Americanized" Islamic teenagers who have applied to come to the US for their studies and to a person they were glad for the attack on America.
Dancing fools and their FreeRepublic dance partners.
Gives new meaning to that show "Dirty-Dancing".
Let's start over, since you seem to be confused. My position is really simple see if you can grasp it. The need for a change in policies was there before 9/11.
You are saying that now after 9/11 we should stick with the previous policies only because Osama doesn't want that. How more silly can it be?
As to why I posted this article, that's because, as I wrote, Israel-firsters were scared of people linking 9/11 and the support for Israel.
Say you have a friend who uses you, sets you up and then eggs you "you are my friend, aren't you gonna help me?" Is that really your friend?
Shall we expect your Zionist conspiracy theory to be made expressly or shall we leave it as a necessary implication of your post?
Wasn't John Walker saying that USS Cole got what it deserved because it shouldn't have been in a muslim port?
Why would Israeli supporters be scared of an event that spoke for itself? We had a certain foreign poliy prior to 9/11, are you suggesting that our foreign policy is to be shaped by the demands of terrorists?
Say you have a friend who uses you, sets you up and then eggs you "you are my friend, aren't you gonna help me?" Is that really your friend?
How did Israel set us up? What's more, Israel is not saying "you are my friend, aren't you gonna help me", it's saying "you are my friend, aren't you going to let go of my arms and help me protect myself while I get beat on?"
No sane person would call that appeasment. Have your heard of cause and effect? Let's change the analogy since you are having problem with this one. Say it's not a human neighborhood, but an animal one. Will you venture there if there is a danger of a grizzly attacking you?
However, if LE doesn't work in a bad neighborhood because they may get hurt, that would be appeasement of a major kind with serious present and future consequences -- freedom.
I don't share your vision of America being a world policeman. Especially when you have a choice of backing one thug over the other one.
And as for "friends", there are no friends in foreign policy. The whole characterization of the relationship as such is an emotional blackmail.
Oh it doesn't? Then why did Israel give back the lands it conquered in war initiated by arabs and is even negotiating to give back more. The only condition being that arabs recognize Israel's right to exist? What about peace with Jordan? israel is supplying Jordan with drinking water for FREE as a condition of peace. That's some good faith, when Jordan should be the one trying to show good faith, since they have attacked Israel before.
American involvement there is clearly not based on simply American interests.
Clearly it is.. As you put it there are no friends in foreigh policy
Uh. I was glued to CNN for 72 hours straight, and they showed practically every muslims in different muslim states celebrating.
If you believe that the United States should change some of its policies regarding Israel, simply state what those policies are and why they should be changed. Quoting bin Laden simply confuses the issue, and leads people to the reasonable conclusion that you agree with him.
You are saying that now after 9/11 we should stick with the previous policies only because Osama doesn't want that. How more silly can it be?
Actually, I never said such a thing. I simply objected to the idea that we should change our policies to appease a vicious thug like bin Laden.
As to why I posted this article, that's because, as I wrote, Israel-firsters were scared of people linking 9/11 and the support for Israel.
I don't know about the Israel-firsters (whoever they may be), but I am less scared than disgusted by people (such as Bin Laden and you) who try to use support for Israel to justify terrorist attacks on my countrymen.
Say you have a friend who uses you, sets you up and then eggs you "you are my friend, aren't you gonna help me?" Is that really your friend?
So now we are supposed to believe that Israel somehow "set us up" for the attacks on 11 September?
I'd argue with that statement. Your honesty is refreshing. So we can dump the whole "abandoning our friend" routine from now on?
I guess next time Bush tells Sharon what to do and Sharon refuses, Bush can simply strong-arm Sharon, without being subjected to whining.
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