In the mess that is the Israeli - Hamas conflict an under reported Osama Bin-Laden tape surfaced yesterday.  The audio tape was specific to the current conflict, negating the claims from past tapes that they were pre-recorded before Osama's death.  He is alive, and still propagating the same hate and calls for jihad as before.

Osama bin Laden issued a new audiotape Wednesday urging Muslims to launch a jihad, or holy war, to stop the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The al-Qaida chief also condemned Arab governments for preventing their people from acting to "liberate Palestine."

The tape was posted Wednesday on Islamic militant Web sites where al-Qaida usually issues its messages. The authenticity of the tape cannot be independently confirmed. But the voice resembles that of bin Laden in previous messages.

What does this mean for the new administration?  Obama has made it clear that, among his other "number one priorities", capturing or killing Osama was his "number on priority".

In other news, there are reports from various reports that Israel is poised to strike Iran before inauguration day.  Read the Newsmax story here.

There is a distinct possiblity of a 1973 repeat of the Yom Kipur war just around the corner.  Stay tuned.