(Adds details, edits) By Inal Ersan DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri said in a video tape aired on Wednesday elections would not free Palestinian land from Israeli occupation and that any path other than holy war would lead to "loss and defeat". "Those who are trying to free Islamic land through elections that are based on secular constitutions ... will not free a grain of Palestinian sand, but will choke jihad (holy war)," he said in the tape broadcast by Al Jazeera television. "Any path other than jihad will only lead us to loss and defeat." Zawahri lashed out at the Islamist Hamas movement for being "dragged" into taking part in elections, which he said would eventually lead to the recognition of the Jewish state. "How did they (Hamas) not demand an Islamic constitution for Palestine before entering any elections, are they not an Islamic movement?", asked Zawahri, the right hand man of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Zawahri's efforts to wade into the Palestinian arena were immediately dismissed by Palestinian groups which reject any attempt to portray their conflict with Israel as part of any wider battle between Muslims and the West. Hamas, which is locked in bitter confrontation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over his call on Saturday for fresh elections, said the movement had its own means of fighting Israel. "Our rejection of early elections stems from the fact it is illegitimate and unconstitutional," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. "Every country has its own ideology and the way people can look at things, either through jihadist work only or through institutional work." An adviser to Abbas also rejected Zawahri's remarks, saying Qaeda's rhetoric did more harm than good for the Palestinians. "The scope of damage and defamation that al Qaeda has done to our cause, even to Arabs and Muslims, is more than the damage inflicted by our enemies," Nimer Hammad told Reuters. 'AMERICA'S MAN' Abbas's call for early elections to end a deadlock with Hamas over the formation of a unity government sparked violence between forces loyal to him and Hamas. Hamas, which unseated Abbas's party in elections this year, said the call for elections amounted to a "coup" against it. Daily gunbattles between Hamas and Fatah forces have raised concern about the possibility of civil war in the Gaza Strip. It was not clear when Zawahri's recording was made. It came two days after a posting on an Islamist Web site announced that a message would be aired by Zawahri. "Recognising Mahmoud Abbas, America's man, as a legitimate (president) ... is a form of recognising Israel," said the bespectacled Egyptian militant, who was dressed in a white robe and black turban with a rifle propped up behind him. "Retreating in the face of the West will not satisfy it, no matter how adept we are at manoeuvring and negotiations," the Egyptian militant leader said. Al Qaeda has repeatedly said it aims to drive out "infidels" and Jews from Muslim countries and sees its battle against the United States as a holy war against crusaders and their allies. Zawahri has urged Palestinians to reject a referendum on a statehood proposal that implicitly recognises Israel. He last appeared in a video posted on the Internet on Sept. 29 in which he called U.S. President George W. Bush a lying failure for talking of progress in the war on terrorism. (Additional reporting by Jerusalem))
