Bin Laden makes Israel threat

Osama bin Laden has vowed to continue the "fight against the Israelis" as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state.

In an audio tape posted on an Islamist website, the al-Qaeda leader said: "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 authenticity of the tape could not immediately be verified.

Bin Laden said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was at the heart of the Muslim battle with the West and an inspiration to the 19 bombers who carried out the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001.

He said Israel's anniversary celebrations showed not only that the Jewish state was 60-years-old but also that it did not exist 60 years ago and was established on land seized from the Palestinians.

The Saudi-born militant also criticised the Western media, saying it had portrayed Israelis as victims and the Palestinians, who had been displaced from their land, as terrorists.

Bin Laden also mocked peace efforts. He said they had been going on for 60 years but failed to establish a Palestinian state.

He added that the deployment of an international force in southern Lebanon proved the West backed and protected Israel.

The speech is addressed to "Western peoples" and entitled "The Causes of Conflict on the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israeli Occupation".

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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