Palestinians cool to Osama bin Laden

Hamas officials tried to distance themselves from bin Laden while not openly criticizing him.

Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Hamas would like to see Western influence in the Middle East eradicated. But he cited "a difference in method" between the two groups and said Hamas was focused on the fight with Israel.

"We are with all efforts against the foreign occupation in the area, but we confirm that Hamas' work has always been in Palestinian lands," Abu Zuhri said.

Ayman Taha, another Hamas spokesman, said the movement wants the blockade on Gaza's border with Egypt broken by nonviolent means, saying Hamas wants nothing to "harm our relationship with Egypt."

Asked if bin Laden's call to break the blockade might lead to violence, Taha said, "It could be — but I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Hamas blew up border wall
Last January, Hamas blew up the border wall with Egypt, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to cross. The border stayed open for nearly two weeks.

Both Israel and Abbas' government allege that al-Qaida is active in Gaza, and some small Palestinian militant groups have claimed ties to the terrorist network. But it is unclear whether any real links exist. Hamas denies there is an al-Qaida presence in the territory.

While there have been pockets of support for bin Laden in the Palestinian territories — the government suppressed small celebrations after the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. — he has never enjoyed the widespread popularity of other anti-Western Arab leaders, such as Saddam Hussein.

Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian analyst in the West Bank, said bin Laden's statements "don't serve the Palestinians in any way."

"Ben Laden is perceived in the world as a terrorist, and any connection to the Palestinians will harm the Palestinians," he said.

But, al-Masri added, if peace talks continue to struggle and produce no real change, Abbas' government could lose support and Palestinians might be more open to al-Qaida's violent ideology.

"If bin Laden and al-Qaida carry out some attacks in Israel, he might gain some popularity here if there is no progress in the peace process," he said.

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