JERUSALEM, May 18 (UPI) -- Israel officials say they are trying to authenticate an audio tape on which Osama bin Laden seems to threaten Palestinian security and the Israeli government.
However, even if the voice on the tape is determined to be that of the al-Qaida leader, Israeli officials downplayed the threat, The Daily Telegraph said Saturday.
"We will not give up a single inch of Palestine as long as there is one true Muslim on Earth," the speaker said on a tape released as Israel celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding. "Peace talks that started 60 years ago are just meant to deceive the idiots. After all the destruction and the killings ... your leaders talk about principles. This is unbearable."
An Israeli government official told the newspaper Israel does not "relate or pay attention to the words of this terrorist lunatic."
"The time has come for him to be apprehended and pay for his crimes," said the unidentified official.