Bin Laden Tape Threatens Americans

A tape that is said to be from Osama bin Laden warns Americans that they will pay the consequences of President Obama's seeds of "hatred and vengeance towards Americans." The tape comes as President Obama arrives on a peace mission to the Middle East.

The latest in a long series of tapes from bin Laden was aired on Al Jazeera Wednesday. There is speculation world wide that bin Laden is no longer alive although tapes that are said to be in his voice routinely surface. CBS4 quotes a portion of the tape:

"The number of these seeds equates that of those suffering in Swat and in the tribal areas in South Waziristan. Obama has thus walked in the footsteps of his predecessor. Let the American people prepare themselves to harvest the consequences of their leadership's actions."

The tape was released as President Barack Obama was flying to visit the Middle East. Bin Laden is heard on the tape accusing Obama of ordering Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to prevent Shari'a law for Swat. He's also blaming the American president for one million Muslim elderly, women and children for being forced to live in tent cities as a result of bombing raids. Bin Laden goes on to compare Obama with former President George W. Bush. Obama's trip to the Middle East is an attempt to repair United States relations with those in the Arab world. It is expected that the United States president will ask Arab nations to make a gesture towards Israel to help speed up the peace process. That request is not expected to be met with positive results. The Arab world is concerned that if one nation makes concessions on its own it would be a threat to the coalition. The New York Times reports:

“Any unilateral decision from any Arab head of state will shred the Arab world and tear its ranks, because there will always be those who oppose and those who support,” said Anwar Majid Eshki, director of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies in Riyadh.

One positive about this trip is that some Saudi officials are pleased that Obama has criticized Israel over its settlement policy. Obama has continued to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the construction of illegal Israeli settlements. The New York Times reports:

“I think we should hear something positive from President Obama,” said Ahmed Kattaan, the Saudi ambassador to the Arab League. “I think he is going in the right way now.”