Al Qaeda terrorists in Africa are invoking Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians as a new battle cry and as motivation for a string of attacks on the continent.
Following Al Qaeda attacks in Kenya, in which 14 were killed, and Mali, in which 10 were killed and 24 wounded, affiliates with the terrorist organization cited "the Palestinian cause" as a motive.
The New York Times writers Dionne Searcey, David M. Halbfinger and Rukmini Callimachi deliberated whether the attacks may have been related to the US embassy move in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem seven months prior. Several organizations including Al Qaeda condemned the US for the move.
The report stated that the "suffering of the Palestinians" was an "animating cause" for Al Qaeda. It detailed biographies of Osama bin Laden, founder of Al Qaeda, which report that he cried watching news coverage of displaced Palestinians who had been forced off their land when he was an adolescent.
The report insinuated that Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people is extreme to the extent that it influenced Al Qaeda and may have even had an effect on the actions of bin Laden, such as the 9/11 attack.
Al Qaeda terrorists are outspoken regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We emphasize and appreciate the high efforts and beautiful words of all the vibrant jihadist work to prevent the Judaization of Palestine," said a statement by Al Qaeda's leadership mentioned by SITE Intelligence Group who monitor extremist content online, according to the Times report.
The report further suggested that Israel benefits from the terror attacks in African countries, as "the violence may serve to advance [Israel's] efforts to make common cause with African regimes, particularly on security issues."
The Times article claims that Israel has been making strategic, aggressive moves into Africa to chip away at "what had been a reliable bloc of votes against Israel in the United Nations, and flexing its muscles in a part of the world where African solidarity with Muslim nations had for decades mandated rejection of relations with Israel."
Israel, according to the report, is involving itself in efforts to prevent Hamas from importing Iranian weapons into the Gaza strip.
The article then goes on to explain how Israel's technological advancements would be beneficial for African countries as a sort of trade for their public relations with Israel.
"Israeli officials can barely contain their glee at seeing the once-solid ideological support for the Palestinians give way to flexible geopolitics," the report stated.