ABSTRACT
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a boon to al Qaeda. It feeds anti-Americanism in the Arab and Muslim worlds by causing violence between a U.S. ally, Israel, and Palestinian Arabs who are largely Muslim. Arabs and non-Arab Muslims then blame the United States for Israel’s belligerent acts. U.S. standing among Arabs and Muslims suffers accordingly. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict also gives al Qaeda a chance to pose in its propaganda as a defender of Arabs and Muslims against a predatory Israeli/American juggernaut.
