Originally Posted by
Superguy
I disagree. The vowed intent of the jihadists is to eradicate Israel. The US is a target because we support Israel and muck in the politics of the Middle East (and elsewhere in the world).
That's a part of it, but for Al Qaeda and much of the "jihadist threat," the real issue appears to be the presence of infidels in the Arabian Peninsula, in the near term, and, in the long term, Western opposition to the creation of a global caliphate.
The Israeli-Palestinian issue is a convenient add-on for them, but it's only lately come up - Bin Laden's major issue is getting non-Muslims out of Saudi Arabia.