Dr. Tamimi: Zawahri Capitalizes On Hatred Against US & Israel

The Director of the London-based Center for Islamic Studies, Dr. Azzam el Tamimi downplayed the threats leveled by Zawahri to Israel and Arab countries, mainly Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

In a statement to Ikhwanweb, el Tamimi ruled out that Zawahri poses a threat to Israel but stated that Egypt and Saudi Arabia that are meant by this threat on the grounds that they now neither stand with the resistacne nor expressly oppose the Israeli hegemony. However, the Islamic Center director hastened to say that these threats on the part of Qaeda don’t mean that it has cells in these states “I think his words act as a message to those who are against US and Israeli hegemony in the region, who in turn receive such messages and then carry out bombings”, he said , citing the London bombings perpetrated by some militants last year.

However, he said that the perpetrators are not necessarily Qaeda members but the fact is that the organization capitalizes on the growing hostility to the US and Israeli hegemony in the region by spurring any indigenous youth into perpetrating such attacks.

On whether Qaeda has any cells in Palestine, el Tamimi depicted this as untrue, adding  that Palestinians are launching a relentless jihad against the occupation, so they don’t need a thought or organization of Qaeda or the like. 
El Tamimi also downplayed Zawahri’s announcement that an Algerian Islamic fighter group has joined Qaeda organization, saying that  he sees it as a cosmetic alliance ” It is not reckoned with nor does it add anything to Qaeda”, he countered.

Ayman el Zawahri stated in his video message that his organization has every justification to prosecute its attacks on the West. Appearing on stills of video footage aired by al Jazeera Satellite Channel marking the fifth anniversary of September 11 attacks, Zawahri addressed the people of the West saying that ”your leaders hide the reality of your disasters from you but time will tell” calling for escalating the jihad against Israel and the West“You had better not waste time reinforcing your forces in Iraq and Afghanistan since they will eventually be defeated”, he addressed the Western leaders, threatening that the Gulf and Israel will be his organization’s next target. In particular, he lashed out at Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for what he depicted as backing of the recent Israeli aggression on Lebanon, adding that Israel didn’t attack Lebanon until it had become reassured that Egypt renounced any conflict with it and no longer backs any Arab state in its war with Israel.