The Al-Qaida Strike

This is Al-Qaida all the way: nobody else has the capabilities or MO for this job.

Israel Says al-Qaida Behind Resort Attacks

Oct 8, 9:15 AM (ET)

By SARAH EL DEEB

TABA, Egypt (AP) - Rescuers Friday dug through the debris of a luxury hotel for victims of a series of bombs at resorts in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula that are popular with Israelis. At least 27 people were killed, with more than 100 wounded, and officials feared the death toll would rise.

Israel's intelligence chief told Cabinet ministers Friday that the bombings at Egyptian resorts were most likely carried out by al-Qaida.

The intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, made the assessment at an emergency Cabinet meeting convened a day after the deadly bombings, which wounded more than 120.
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[Gefan] Naty said he believed rescue workers could have saved the mother if they been allowed to get to the scene earlier, but Egyptian authorities, for some reason, delayed their arrival.

Egyptian government spokesman Magdy Rady denied it.

"There was no such a thing - no delay at all. Don't believe the Israelis," Rady told the AP.

...Doesn't sound like he has issues with Israel.

This attack, although certainly Al-Qaida backed, is certainly is a twist on their everyday operations. Al-Qaida usually states its animosity towards the Jews and the US, but rarely has it attacked specifically against Jews, and never in an operation like this--not that I can remember. It may or may not have something to do with the new operation head, Abu Faraj al-Liby:

Al-Qaeda's new operational head

By M Ansari

Debriefing by security officials in Pakistan of several dozen militants captured there since July, has revealed the name of Abu Faraj al-Liby who, they say, is the man currently calling the shots on behalf of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

"Every time we interrogate a militant linked to Al-Qaeda, Al-Liby's name pops up," said a Pakistani security agent, who requested not to be identified.

These officials said that Al-Liby was not only the man who orchestrated major terrorist acts carried in Pakistan recently - including the latest suicide attack on Shoukat Aziz, the newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister, during his election campaign - but he was also behind the coded messages sent to Al-Qaeda sleeping cells in the UK and US, assisted by Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, who was arrested in July.

The deciphered messages revealed that Al-Liby was co-ordinating pre-election terrorist acts in the US, and had sent messages to several militants in the UK in the last eight to 10 months.

Rationale
The timing of the attacks was for the end of the Israeli holidays, so their intent to kill as many Jews is obvious...what about other audiences or targets? They must know that Israel and Egypt will only grow tighter because they have been collaborating on the Gaza's "stabilization". Is this intended? Al-Qaida has been at odds with Egypt for some time because of their crack downs on the Muslim Brotherhood, the same 'students' who became the backbone of the Taliban, so the 'negative consequences' of attacking Egypt are nil.

The Sinai is a fascinating location, especially given the history of the '67 war. Eilat was the epicentre of the battle, when Egypt cut off the shipping lanes of the Red Sea and booted the UN out of the peninsula. The towns that once held the military outposts for the UN, Egypt and Israel are now the towns where Israelis go to vacation, spend money and relax. Suddenly, their presence is threatened and lingering animosity between some elements of the undisciplined Egyptian authorities and Israeli civilians might drive Israelis to find another vacation spot, weakening ever so slightly the Egyptian tourism industry...Just like Al-Qaida did with the last tourists in '97.

Retaliation

Somebody's gotta die
If I got, you gotta go
Somebody's gotta die
Let the gunshots blow
Somebody's gotta die
Nobody gotta know
That I killed yo ass in the mist, kid
--Notorious B.I.G.

Mossad and the IDF have a history of making groups and individuals pay for attacking Israelis, no matter the location. Israel has to retaliate to show it isn't weak and to scare off future would-be attackers. The question is how will Israel respond to Al-Qaida? With Hamas and Hizbollah, the locations and perpetrators are obvious. With Al-Qaida, the persons responsible (the leadership) are no mystery, the problem is "where?" and "how?" to respond. Abu Faraj al-Liby is apparently in Pakistan, Al-Zawahiri is in Iraq and bin Laden is probably 6 feet deep.

The only neighbour that Israel could freely attack without much in the way of repercussions is Syria, but an operation there seems unlikely. Syria is consumed with its own problems and already plays host to a few little global parasites (Hamas et al)so justifying its responsibility would be tough. Lebanon is another possibility, but its involvement is probably zero. The country everyone knows is responsible but will not be touched is Saudi Arabia. Again, there is triangulation between SA, Israel and the US, with the US the ally of both of these sworn enemies...just as France was and is the 'ally' of both the west and the west's enemies.

I think the first stop is the UN where Israel might try to bring Egypt and possibly another arab country in to co-sponsored resolution (okay, I'm dreaming) of some kind condemning the act and so on...Just to throw the UN a bone and attempt diplomacy for diplomacy's sake. Barring that hopeless venture, overt acts of war will not be on the menu, and more than likely Mossad will do its dirty deeds in the name of street justice.

Check me and I'll check you back
(Understand where I'm coming from?)
Self defence turns to the Offence
--Cypress Hill