ISRAEL MAY BE NEXT AL QAEDA BATTLEGROUND

Israel May Be Next Al-Qaeda Battleground - Steven Gutkin (AP/Washington Post)
Signs are mounting that al-Qaeda terrorists are setting their sights on Israel and the Palestinian territories as their next jihad battleground. Al-Qaeda's inroads are still preliminary, but officials fear a doomsday scenario if it takes root. Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon have established contacts with al-Qaeda followers linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to two Israeli officials.