In a new audio message, Ayman al-Zawahri, the Egyptian leader of al-Qaeda, has strongly endorsed the Palestinian attacks on Israelis with knives and called on Muslims everywhere to follow the Palestinian example, especially by attacking Americans at home. It's classic al-Qaeda strategy: Jump on a bandwagon you didn't start and ride it to garner support. It's been a winning formula for over a decade.

Zawahri issued a 16-minute audiotape from his hideout in Pakistan or Afghanistan over the weekend titled "Let us unite to liberate Jerusalem." He begins by lauding the series of attacks in Jerusalem, Hebron and elsewhere by individual Palestinians with knives on Jews, saying these martyrdom operations are a "new epic of jihad" that should be emulated by Muslims everywhere. The goal should be to wear down the Israeli economy by inducing fear among Israelis and visitors to Israel. Exhaustion is the objective.

Zawahri says two more approaches are necessary to drive Israel out from Jerusalem and destroy it. First is attacks on America and the West, especially in its "heartland." He then lauds a long series of attacks on the West from 9/11 to Paris this year and a long series of terrorists from Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 terrorists, to the "two Tsarnaev brothers" who attacked Boston. This is vintage al-Qaeda ideology, arguing that only by defeating and hurting America and its allies, who are Israel's patrons, can the Islamic world regain Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. This has been the core message of Zawahri and Osama bin Laden since the founding of al-Qaeda almost two decades ago.

Second, Zawahri calls for creation of a jihadist state in Egypt and the Levant to fight what he called the alliance of America, Israel, Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Syrian Alawis. All jihadists from Morocco to Central Asia should unite to fight this unholy alliance. They should model themselves on the Umayyad dynasty that unified the Muslim world from Spain to India in the 7th century.