As heroic as shooting a 70 year old captive.Capturing a 70 year old civilian? Real heroic
My guess is that Zawahiri seeks legitimacy and explaining why they caught (and then released) a guy almost makes him seem accountable. He in fact compares al-Qaeda's actions to those of his enemies. You never equate yourself with your enemies when you want to tarnish their image. You do that when you want to elevate your own. Al-Qaeda can now say they are fair and reasonable. Outsiders may disagree and may even choose to say that neither al-Qaeda or it's enemies are fair and reasonable, but that's besides the fact.
But why would CNN run the story? Zawahiri can say whatever he wants but no-one would ever hear what he says if outlets didn't treat it like a story.
and
Actually, it sounds like someone who's desperate for public support and isn't getting any. Zawahiri's messages are specifically targeted towards Arab muslims, there's no way he could expect any of those demands to be met, but making them strikes a common chord in the region. But, Al-Qaeda has little reason to care about the Israeli-Palestinian issue and has done little about it over the years. However, they do like to mention it in their public releases from time to time but that's mostly a marketing gimmick. No cause is too small for al-Qaeda these days, and they need the work.
