He also blames America for the rise of Islamic jihad activity in recent years, which puts him in agreement with Barack Obama. “UPDATE 1-Gaddafi tells Palestinians: revolt against Israel,” by Ali Shuaib and Salah Sarrar for Reuters, February 13 (thanks to Ken):
TRIPOLI, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Palestinian refugees should capitalise on the wave of popular revolts in the Middle East by massing peacefully on the borders of Israel until it gives in to their demands, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Sunday….
“Fleets of boats should take Palestinians … and wait by the Palestinian shores until the problem is resolved,” Gaddafi was shown saying on state television. “This is a time of popular revolutions.”
“We need to create a problem for the world. This is not a declaration of war. This is a call for peace,” he said in a speech given to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohamed, a holy day in the Islamic calendar.
He also said: “All Arab states which have relations with Israel are cowardly regimes.”…
Gaddafi also issued a call to Muslim countries to join forces against Western powers. He said the world was divided into white, denoting the United States, Europe and their allies, and green for the Muslim world.
“The white colour has decided to get rid of the green colour,” Gaddafi said. “These countries should be united against the white colour because all of these white countries are the enemies of Islam.”
He said violent acts committed by Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaeda network went against Islam because they killed innocent people. But he said there was a political explanation for the emergence of militant Islamists.
“Why did this movement emerge? Regardless of its behaviour, in my analysis this movement appeared in response to the American arrogance towards the Islamic nation and in response to its hegemony of the Islamic world,” Gaddafi said.
“It was a response to … the submission of rulers in the Islamic world, the subservience of rulers in the Islamic world to this arrogance from Europe and the United States,” he said….