WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Al Qaida appears to have shifted its strategy away from
the United States and against Israel, a report said.The report by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said Al
Qaida, in the aftermath of its destruction in Afghanistan, appears to have
moved toward support of the Palestinians in their war against Israel. The
shift marks a break in policy that stressed that the United States is the
key to any change in the Middle East and for a victory by the Palestinians.In the report, author Reuven Paz said Al Qaida has pledged to increase
support for the Palestinians. The group, in statements on various Islamic
web sites termed Qaedat Al Jihad, said the suicide bombing of the USS Cole
would be the first of many against U.S. and Israeli targets in the Middle
East. The group also claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on a
Tunisian synagogue in which 19 people were killed."There are operations we took responsibility for, and others we shall do
so in the proper time," Al Qaida said in an announcement.
NOTE: The above is not the full item.
This service contains only a small portion of the information produced daily by Middle East Newsline. For a subscription to the full service, please contact Middle East Newsline at: editor@menewsline.com for further details.
