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Source: http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=11775
Al-Qaeda Leader in Iraq Threatens Israel, Vows to "Liberate" Palestine in New Audiotape
[AP/Asharq Alawsat] The purported leader of al-Qaeda's umbrella in Iraq called in a new posting on a militant website on Thursday for attacks on Israel and the liberation of Palestine, proposing that Iraq's territory be a "launching pad" to seize Jerusalem. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who heads the Islamic State of Iraq, lashed out at Arab and Palestinian groups, especially Hamas, for failing to liberate Palestine, calling on Hamas' military wing to break away from the group's political leadership and liberate Jerusalem. The new posting came in the wake of concerns expressed this week by the director of U.S. national intelligence that al-Qaeda in Iraq is shifting its focus to attacks elsewhere in the region. Mike McConnell told a U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday that the terror network "may deploy resources to mount attacks outside" Iraq.