The leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq threatened a holy war on Israel. Appearing unmasked for the first time in a video statement released this week, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi decried a supposed “Zionist and Crusader” plot against the Muslim world. “Holy Jerusalem will be liberated only through jihad,” he said. “To the U.S. administration, to Bush the commander of the Crusader assault, to his Jewish personnel, to the Crusaders and to the traitorous Muslims, we say: They will not enjoy one moment of quiet as long as there is blood in our veins.” Osama bin Laden named the Jordanian-born Zarqawi to lead Al-Qaida’s contingent in the Iraqi insurgency.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
