Palestine Is Top Issue, bin Laden Says

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Osama bin Laden vowed Friday to fight Israel for the liberation of the Palestinians, claiming their cause is at the heart of al-Qaida's holy war with the West. "We will continue our struggle against the Israelis and their allies," bin Laden said, we are not going to give up an inch of the land of Palestine." Bin Laden said the Palestinian cause is the most important factor driving al-Qaida's war with the West and claimed it was the motivation for the 19 Muslims, most of them Saudi Arabians, who carried out the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S.
"To Western nations ... this speech is to understand the core reason of the war between our civilization and your civilizations. I mean the Palestinian cause," bin Laden said at the conclusion of his message. "The Palestinian cause is the major issue for my (Islamic) nation. It was an important element in fueling me from the beginning and the 19 others with a great motive to fight for those subjected to injustice and the oppressed," he said. The al-Qaida chief criticized Western leaders such as Bush who participated in Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations.