Al-Qaeda's No. 2 slammed the leaders of Egypt and the Palestinians, accusing them of betraying Islam and collaborating with the United States and Israel, according to an Internet statement published in his name Monday.
Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri is quoted as accusing the Egyptian, Saudi Arabian and Yemeni governments of serving the interests of the United States, saying that Washington "bombs the Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Referring to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a senior member of his Fatah party, al-Zawahiri is quoted as asking: "How is it possible for Mahmoud Abbas to be a brother of ours, or for Mohammed Dahlan to be a brother of ours, when they have grown fat on the bribes of the Jews and gifts of the Americans?"
The statement congratulates Islamic holy warriors around the world on the start of the feast of al-Adha and on "the defeat of the Americans and their crusader allies in Afghanistan and Iraq."
