The Church should be a protected sanctuary rather than a site for political standoffs- sanctity of life over frictions of the past.
By David Nekrutman and Jonathan Feldstein
The images from last month’s Iranian missile barrage remain seared into our collective memory, specifically the sight of ballistic streaks over Jerusalem’s Old City. Amidst this high-stakes war, a localized controversy erupted that touched the very heart of the faith communities with whom we spend our time building bridges. During Holy Week, Israeli police barred Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private, livestreamed Palm Sunday service.
Cardinal Issue. Need to provide a bomb shelter following the issue with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who is seen here holding a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Photo: Ammar Awad/Pool Photo via AP)
Predictably, the incident became a Rorschach test for the region’s geopolitics. Critics of Israel seized upon it as evidence of anti-Christian bias, while defenders pointed to the genuine threat of falling shrapnel, noting that religious gatherings for Jews and Muslims were also restricted. The fallout was significant enough that Israeli government leaders, including the Prime Minister himself, condemned the police decision and intervened to ensure a solution was found for future services.
Targeting Jerusalem. Israel intercepts an Iranian missile above Jerusalem’s Old City on March 1, 2026. (Photo: AP/Mahmoud Illean)
While high-level political fixes can salvage a holiday, they do not address the underlying infrastructure failure. As leaders of The Isaiah Projects and the Genesis 123 Foundation, we believe the time has come to ask a glaring, practical question:
Why does one of the most significant religious sites on Earth, in a place that has been targeted by terrorist missiles, lack a bomb shelter?
STREAMLINING SECURITY FOR THE CLERGY
The absence of a shelter doesn’t just impact pilgrims; it hamstrings the ability of Israel’s Home Front Command to make nuanced security calls. When the sirens wail and the threat level is raised, as we experienced during last month’s state of war, the military’s default position must be the total shutdown of unprotected spaces.
Under Fire. Smoke in the Old City shows where fragments from an Iranian missile fell near the holy sites of all the three major religions. (Photo: IDF)
If the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had an on-site shelter, the logistical calculus would change overnight. It would provide the Home Front Command with the safety “cushion” needed to allow the Cardinal and his clergy into the building even during high-alert periods. While a shelter might not allow for full congregational attendance, it would alleviate some of the safety concerns that currently lead to total bans on public holy sites. A shelter turns a high-risk security gamble into a manageable situation, ensuring the liturgy does not have to go dark while protecting lives — a value central to both Judaism and Christianity.
A COALTION OF WILLING NEIGHBORS
Recognizing this gap between spiritual necessity and physical safety, our organizations have publicly offered to donate and install a bomb shelter within or adjacent to the church premises. We would be working in tandem with Operation Lifeshield, an Israeli organization with decades of specialized experience installing shelters for both Jewish and non-Jewish communities across Israel.
To date, however, the Church has yet to accept our offer. We understand the complexity of the “Status Quo” — the centuries-old web of agreements between different denominations that govern the Holy Sites. Historically, even moving a laddercan trigger an internal Christian crisis. Yet, as the region prepares for a potential “Phase 3” escalation with Iran and the lack of a long-term solution becomes glaring, the absence of modern safety infrastructure is a liability that prayer alone may not solve.
BEYOND THE STATUS QUO
The threats last month in Jerusalem and across Israel were real. While any physical change requires a delicate consensus among the various Christian denominations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, “bureaucracy as usual” is a luxury we can no longer afford when the stakes are human lives.
Nowhere is Safe. Following an Iranian missile exploding over Jerusalem’s Old City, its fragments fell on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter and on the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Iranian regime is firing missiles toward Jerusalem’s holy sites, endangering Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. Israel, meanwhile, acts to protect worshippers of all faiths in its capital city.
Moving beyond these administrative hurdles would signal a profound shift in interfaith relations, especially as an initiative of two Jewish-led organizations supported by both Jews and Christians. We are currently sixty years post-Nostra Aetate, the landmark declaration that reshaped the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. We speak often of “rapprochement”, but it is often confined to high-level summits and theological papers.
We believe a bomb shelter for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, facilitated by Jewish neighbors with a proven track record of protecting all citizens, would be the ultimate modern manifestation of that vision. It would be a tangible, “concrete” sign of a brotherhood that prioritizes the sanctity of life over the friction of the past.
Holy Sepulchre in the ‘Cross’hairs. Missile debris from an Iranian attack landed just feet from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – one of the most sacred sites in Christianity, believed to be the place of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
LOOKING AHEAD TO PHASE III
As tensions with Iran threaten to escalate into a “Phase III” conflict, the issue of shutdowns in public and even sacred spaces will only intensify. Israel has recently appointed a new Christian envoy; while he is still getting his feet wet in this complex space, he cannot carry the burden of the Church’s safety alone.
The Church leadership must step up. It is easy to blame security forces for restrictions, but it is much harder to justify the lack of basic safety infrastructure in a high-profile target area frequently caught in the crosshairs of regional conflict.
Our offer stands. We are ready to work with the Church to navigate the technical and diplomatic hurdles. Accepting this shelter would ensure that when the next barrage of missiles from Iran, Hezbollah, or the Houthis comes, the Church remains a protected sanctuary rather than a site for political standoffs. Let us work together to ensure that the prayers at the Holy Sepulchre never have to be silenced by the sound of sirens.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
If the West cannot stand with its Jews when they are threatened, blamed and smeared with recycled blood libels, then we are dead as societies.
By Andrew Fox
I am done pulling punches. This will not be an easy read. Do not look away.
Fuck this. I am furious at the antisemitism pouring through the West, confident and shameless, and at those who know it is wrong, yet sit by and let it happen and say or do absolutely nothing.
View at burnt Ambulances in a car park at Golders Green in London, Monday, March 23, 2026, after an apparent arson attack on four vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service, Hatzola Northwest, in London. (Photo: Alberto Pezzali/AP)
In Britain, we have already had Jews and their security guards stabbed to death. Jewish ambulances were set on fire. Now we have had multiple synagogue fire bombings in London. I woke this morning to a WhatsApp message from a Jewish friend I treasure, telling me about the latest atrocity against British Jews. I am sick of this. I am sickened by it, and I do not understand how anyone with any decency is not sickened too. Why are we not angrier?
Jewish people are being forced to answer, again, for every accusation, every fantasy, every blood libel hurled at the State of Israel. A Jewish student in London, Paris, New York or Melbourne is treated as if they sat in the Israeli war cabinet. A synagogue is treated as if it were a military installation. A kosher restaurant becomes a proxy battlefield. A Jewish child in a school uniform is expected to carry the moral weight of a war they did not start, a government they did not elect, and a region most of their accusers could not find on a map without help. It is grotesque. It is ancient hatred with new slogans. I am angry, and you should be too. If you are reading this, why the fuck are you not angrier?
A 45-year-old Muslim man goes on a rampage in Golders Green looking for Jews to stab. Antisemitism is being ‘normalised’ and not taken seriously enough, chief rabbi tells BBC. (Photo: Screen shot from BBC)
Holocaust survivors have told me in person that the atmosphere in Britain today is like 1930s Germany. Why will our leaders, our government, our legal system not listen to them? The Holocaust did not arrive fully formed. It started with demonisation, isolation and undeserved blame.
Wake. The. Fuck. Up.
The blood libels are back. They have just been laundered through the language of activism, human rights and moral urgency. Jews are again cast as uniquely cruel, uniquely conspiratorial, uniquely bloodthirsty. Israel is accused not merely of error, not merely of brutality, not merely of war, but of metaphysical evil. Every casualty is flattened into proof of Jewish depravity. Every complexity is erased. Every Hamas or Hezbollah or Iranian atrocity is contextualised into mist. Jewish grief is interrogated. Jewish fear is mocked. Jewish self-defence is treated as criminal.
The most sickening expression of this is the obscene inversion of the Holocaust in Gaza. Gaza is not the Holocaust. Gaza is not Auschwitz. Gaza is not Treblinka. Gaza is not the industrialised, continent-wide mechanical attempt to exterminate an entire people. Gaza is not the murder of six million people because they were Jews. Gaza is not children selected for gas chambers, families shot into pits, communities erased from Europe, nor names turned to ash. To compare the war in Gaza to the attempted extermination of the Jewish race is an obscene desecration. There is no parallel. None whatsoever.
April 14, 1945 – Pile of ashes and bones found by U.S. soldiers at Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany (Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library)
Civilian suffering in Gaza or Lebanon is simply a feature of war. It can be real without turning Jews into Nazis. War can be horrific without becoming the Shoah. Palestinians can be mourned without stealing the language of Jewish annihilation and weaponising it against Jews. The Holocaust is not a metaphor for anyone’s rhetorical convenience. It was a specific crime, committed against a specific people, at a specific scale, with a specific ideological purpose: the eradication of Jews from the earth. To invert it against Jews now is morally obscene.
Everyone in the West should stand with their Jewish neighbours. They should stand with Jews because Jews are being threatened, harassed, isolated and collectively blamed for the actions of a state. They should stand with Jews because history has already shown us where this road leads when decent people find a thousand elegant reasons to look away.
April 12, 1945 – Bodies of prisoners of Ohrdruf concentration camp stacked like cordwood (Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library)
Silence is permission. When Jewish schools need guards, when students hide Stars of David, when families wonder whether it is safe to walk to synagogue, and when mobs chant slogans that make Jews feel hunted in the cities they call home, when Jewish ambulances and places of worship are being firebombed, the moral test is not complicated. Stand with Jews, or admit that your principles are worth piss in the wind.
The absence of solidarity is a stain. The refusal to name antisemitism because it wears a fashionable political mask is a stain. The cowardice of institutions, politicians, universities and cultural figures who can identify every hatred except this one is a stain.
What the shuddering fuck are we doing, Britain? Why are we not angrier? Why are we not forming human shields around our Jewish community? Our grandparents fought a global war so that this could never happen again. It is literally happening again, and we are standing by and doing absolutely fucking nothing.
I am angry because Jews should not have to beg for support. Jews should not feel they have to thank someone merely for showing solidarity with them. I am raging because “Never Again” has become a slogan people applaud, yet it fails when courage is demanded. I am angry because standing by Jews is the only right option, and too many otherwise good, decent people are choosing silence, disregard or antipathy.
Look: I cannot say this anymore simply. Once they are done with the Jews, they are coming for you, too. Get fucking angry before it is too late, if not for the Jews, then for yourselves and your children.
About the writer:
A veteran of three grueling tours of Afghanistan, Major Andrew Fox holds a Batchelor’s degree in Law & Politics, a Master’s in Military History & War Studies, Msc in Psychology and is currently studying for a PhD in History.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
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Is this the vital “humanitarian Aid” the people of Gaza were waiting for – Condoms and Cocaine! This taken ‘on board’ photo reveals the true nature of the “Condom Flotilla” as a PR stunt.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a video that showed condoms and small bags containing drugs found aboard the vessels bound for Gaza. (Photo: Israel MFA)
ARTICLES
Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.
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SOUTH AFRICA’S ESTEEMED ONLINE ‘DAILY FRIEND’ IS NO FRIEND WHEN IT COMES TO DEFENDING DEMOCRACY
A discourse with the editor reveals failures and fears to take on Islamic fundamentalism. By Lawrence Nowosenetz
Staggering Silence. A disturbing statement by a prominent Muslim leader in South Africa goes unchallenged by esteemed publication the ‘Daily Friend’. While itself troubling, no less disquieting is the editor’s ‘explanations’ to the writer as to why the SILENCE!
How oil money has corrupted the world By Neville Berman
Petroleum Politics. The question the writer address is: “What are the incredibly wealthy oil exporting countries in the Middle East doing with their wealth?” Some are playing a “double game” of pretending to be friends of the West,while creating chaos and causing destruction in an increasingly volatile global landscape.
Perspectives and insights from writers in the Arab media
Seismic Shifts. Illuminating fresh perspectives – divergent from Western media – are evident in the writings of Arab journalists recognizing new realities – some beneficial – as a consequence of the wars in the Middle East.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
27 April 2026 – Who did Israel send an Iron Dome to, are new political winds blowing through Israel and more on The Israel Brief.
28 April 2026 – Is Qatar behind an influence campaign on behalf of the ICC Chief Prosecutor? More on The Israel Brief.
29 April 2026 – Get the sandwiches ready – the selfie flotilla is on the way. Your top stories on The Israel Brief.
30 April 2026 – The Condom Flotilla, Roro gets spiky and more on The Israel Brief.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Perspectives and insights from writers in the Arab media
Illuminating shifts in perspective are in evidence of Arab writers responding to seismic shifts in military and political dynamics as a consequence of the present wars in the Middle East.
Where once Arab writers would reflexively blame Israel as their habitual default response, such is no longer necessary the case. Below are two writers expressing new realities realizing the route to resolution demands recognising as well as acknowledging – facts not myths.
David E. Kaplan Lay of the Land editor
*(Translated from the Arabic by Asaf Zilberfarb for Media Line. All assertions and opinions are the sole responsibility of the individual writers and not Lay of the Land.)
LEBANON SUCCEEDS IN SEPARATING ITS PATH FROM IRAN By Ali Hamada
An-Nahar, Lebanon, April 15
Hezbollah’s attempt to link Lebanon’s negotiating track to the Iranian one has failed.
In reality, the effort came close to a full-fledged political and security coup, especially since the party and the forces operating under its umbrella – parties, movements, and political figures from different backgrounds – were part of a coordinated push aimed at reasserting control over Lebanon’s national decision-making.
In practical terms, it was clear that mobilizing the street was not a spontaneous political-security development, but part of a coordinated operation between the “Shi’ite duo”, translated on the ground into an effective takeover of Beirut, leveraging the demographic and security shifts created by the war.
The move began with pressure campaigns in the street and media to fold the Lebanese file into US-Iran negotiations, allowing Tehran to carry the demand for a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of a broader deal.
This required simultaneous pressure on the government domestically and at the negotiating table in Islamabad.
Yet the effort quickly faltered when both the president and prime minister took a decisive stand, with President Joseph Aoun opening the cabinet session by rejecting any attempt to negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf.
Standing up to Hezbollah. of late April 2026, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is engaged in a sharp, public confrontation with Hezbollah, accusing the group of causing the “collapse” of the Lebanese state to serve Iranian interests.
This was reinforced by the army’s deployment in the capital under the banner of turning Beirut into a demilitarized city, especially after officials realized the extent of Hezbollah’s infiltration – fighters, cadres, leadership figures, and weapons spread across residential neighborhoods.
The protests at the entrances to the Grand Serail were not simply about holding Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accountable, but part of a gradual attempt to seize the capital by mobilizing a pro-party base, exploiting the absence of Beirut’s traditional Sunni component, and the silence of its leadership.
Hezbollah’s failure to secure the Lebanese card was compounded by the launch of direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations – even under fire in the South – cementing a clear separation between the Lebanese and Iranian tracks.
The Lebanese state acted wisely in enforcing this separation, especially as the Iranian track itself stalled in Islamabad and may yet return to open confrontation.
Questioning Qassem. While Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rouses his base in Beirut against Israel, President Aoun publicly asks, “When you went to war, did you first obtain national consensus?”. (Photo: AFP)
Meanwhile, developments in the battle for Bint Jbeil suggest that its possible capture by Israeli forces would mark a turning point in weakening Hezbollah’s military power and further eroding its position within Lebanon’s political order, despite its continued possession of tools of violence.
The party has lost its strategic depth in Syria, its logistical connection to Iran has become far more difficult, and its human and material losses are immense.
– Ali Hamada
WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN ON THE EDGE By Mohamed Mostafa Aboshama
El Watan, Egypt, April 14
The latest round of US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad was not a negotiation in the true sense, but rather a stage for each side to showcase what it claims to have achieved after the 40-day war, and to reinforce a narrative of victory before domestic audiences.
Each party arrived bound by the image it had built for its public – an image that leaves little room for early or painful concessions, especially after mobilizing rhetoric centered on resilience and triumph.
From the outset, this made meaningful negotiation unlikely, with both sides presenting fixed demands rather than engaging in genuine dialogue.
More important than the failure of talks, however, is the shift in the conflict’s center of gravity – from the nuclear file to the far more sensitive and consequential issue of the Strait of Hormuz.
Playing it ‘Strait’. The war has led Iran to discover that its most powerful leverage is not its nuclear program but its ability to influence global trade and energy flows through control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The war has led Iran to rediscover its most powerful leverage: not its nuclear program, but its ability to influence global trade and energy flows through control of this vital chokepoint.
This realization has turned the Strait of Hormuz into the central arena of the conflict, linking any political settlement directly to its future.
In response, the United States has moved to impose a naval blockade on Iran ports following the collapse of talks, targeting vessels entering and leaving in an effort to choke exports – particularly oil – and force Tehran back to negotiations under greater pressure.
This marks a decisive shift from political pressure to economic and maritime confrontation, with consequences extending far beyond the immediate parties.
Rising oil prices, disrupted supply chains, and higher transport costs place the global economy squarely within the conflict’s reach.
More broadly, this signals the emergence of a new phase of geopolitical competition: wars over maritime chokepoints.
Historically, control over sea routes has defined global power, but the current moment adds a new dimension, where even non-state actors can disrupt trade by exploiting narrow geographic bottlenecks.
The key question now is whether the region is moving closer to war or peace.
The answer lies somewhere in between.
War of Wits. With Iran and the US locked in a strategic “staring contest” over Hormuz, a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) enforces the US blockade of Iranian ports against the ship M/T Stream after it attempted to sail to an Iranian port, on April 26.
The blockade raises tensions and risks escalation, yet it may also serve as leverage to bring Iran back to the table.
For now, we are in a dangerous middle phase – what might be described as “armed peace” – where pressure builds, and escalation continues, even as channels for negotiation remain quietly open.
– Mohamed Mostafa Aboshama
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The tiny mountain pine beetle has the ability to dig into a tree and then mate and quickly multiply. Once this takes place, a slow steady process of hollowing out the tree from within begins. This hollowing out prevents the nutrients derived from the roots of the tree from reaching the branches and leaves of the tree. In time the tree withers and finally dies. These tiny beetles, measuring the size of a grain of rice, are able to infect entire forests. Thousands of acres of healthy forests have been destroyed by these tiny beetles. The above is a metaphor for what is currently taking place in the liberal Western world.
The Killer Within. Its small and does not look like a killer but an invasion of pine beetles can over time devastate forests from within. (Photo: IStock/Getty Images)
The world runs on oil and gas. A staggering amount of over 102 million barrels of oil are consumed daily. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is natural gas cooled to minus 162 Celsius. This reduces the volume to a fraction of its original volume. Both oil and LNG can be transported in pipelines and specially constructed ships and tanker trucks across the world. LNG can be used to produce electricity with a lower carbon footprint than using coal. Currently LNG consumption exceeds 4.2 billion cubic meters per year. French President Charles de Gaulle stated that countries do not have friends, countries have interests. The world clearly has important interests in maintaining its relationship with the major oil and gas exporting countries in the Middle East. Common values of democracy, and all the rights and freedoms that are the basis of the liberal Western world are mutually exclusive to interests.
Whether these oil or gas exporting countries are democracies, dictatorships, or autocracies is irrelevant. Whether they practice the rule of law, have human rights, freedom of religion, a free press, women’s rights, gay rights or any other rights that seem so important to the liberal Western world, is immaterial if they export oil and gas. Western liberal principles are simply ignored when vital interests are at stake. The bottom line is that money makes the world go round, and oil and gas are mega money earners.
What is happening is that the major oil exporting countries and the oil traders are colluding to limit the supply of oil in order to raise the price and increase their profits. No other commodity has the huge profit margins of oil and gas. The vast bulk of oil consumed in America is produced in America. The cost of producing oil in America has not risen as a result of the war in Iran. What has risen is the selling price of oil at the pump. America and the world have been hoodwinked by the greed of the oil industry. At the same time that the majority of countries in the world are going into massive debt, the oil and gas exporting countries are rolling in money. According to a report by the World Bank, total government debt in 2025, reached a record $324 trillion. The situation is unsustainable. The question that now arises is what are the incredibly wealthy oil exporting countries in the Middle East doing with their wealth?
Saudi Arabia has been run for over a century by one family. The present King is Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. He is the last surviving son of Abdulaziz who founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. King Salman is over 80 years old and is not well. He has appointed one of his sons, Muhammed bin Salman known as MBS as the de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a Public Investment Fund with nearly a trillion dollars under its management and control. For decades Saudi Arabia has been fully funding the construction and running costs of mega Mosques across the western world. The Imans in these Mosques are hand picked to promote the conservative, fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam that is practiced in Saudi Arabia. Subjugation to sharia law and gender separation has been promoted in the West. The Saudi appointed Imans in these mega Mosques have radicalized tens of thousands of their followers living in the West to oppose western values and culture. They should not be viewed as friends of the West.
Deliberately Designed. A mosque in the Diyanet Center of America outside Washington, D.C. For several decades, Saudi Arabia has extensively funded the construction and operational costs of mosques, Islamic centers, and schools throughout the Western world. Totaling billions of dollars in oil revenue, these investments have been part of a deliberate, long-term policy to promote a conservative form of Islam known as Wahhabism or Salafism globally. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Qatar is a peninsula in the Arabian Gulf with a border in the south with Saudi Arabia. Approximately 320,000 of its 3 million population are Qatari citizens. Since its inception in the 19th century, Qatar has been ruled by one family known as the House of Thani. The current Emir is Sheik Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani who has ruled Qatar since June 25, 2013. Qatar is an absolute monarchy where the Emir is the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. Qatar is a major exporter of LNG and is enormously wealthy.
Qatar is playing a double game in pretending to be a friend of the West, while it is actively promoting chaos and the destruction of the West. Qatar is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood that aims to subjugate the entire world to Islamic rule and Sharia law. The billionaire leaders of Hamas, who embezzled all their wealth from the people in Gaza, and helped plan the atrocities committed by Hamas, are living a luxury life with their families in Qatar. Hamas is a designated terrorist entity and anyone hosting and protecting their leaders is obviously not promoting peace in the world.
Qatar is fully funding the TV station known as Al-Jazeera. It has over 3,000 employees and reporters. It reports 24/7 to over 430 million viewers around the world in both Arabic and English. Al Jazeera reaches millions of people in the world who are illiterate and soak up the anti-Israel and anti-western rhetorical nature of the reporters. No other TV channel has the resources that Al Jazeera has. It has radicalized millions of its listeners to become active protestors against America and Israel. There is no doubt that Al Jazeera has promoted and spread militant Islam across the world.
Penetration and Propaganda. Al Jazeera, founded in 1996 in Doha, Qatar, has functioned as a powerful but controversial tool designed to project Qatari influence and provide an alternative Arab-centric perspective on global events. Its influence amplifies Muslim political identity and regional resistance movements to a global audience.
Qatar has spent billions of dollars financing Departments of Middle Eastern Studies at almost all the major universities in America. Only people with a proven anti-Israel and anti-Western philosophical world outlook are hired to become professors and lecturers in these departments. The intention of Qatar is to promote an anti-Western mindset in the students who will most likely become future leaders of America. Qatar is buying properties, sports clubs, businesses and making investments that aim at gaining influence amongst the decision makers of the West. With its vast wealth, Qatar has corrupted many of the institutions that are vital to running the world. All of Qatar’s actions are intended to promote the rise of Islamic values in the West and are in direct opposition to liberal Western values.
America maintains approximately 10,000 military personnel at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The base serves as the forward headquarters of the United States Central Command known as CENTCOM. In effect Qatar operates under American protection while at the same time it is spending billions of dollars trying to undermine America. One family that controls a country with 320,000 citizens has been able to use its money to undermine and corrupt the entire liberal West. Despite its tiny size, Qatar is a major threat to the Western world.
How Qatar Bought American Higher Education
In the 7th century, the Prophet Mohammad entered into a 10-year ceasefire with the Quraish tribe who controlled Mecca. It was known as a hudna. Two years later. A re-armed Mohammad attacked and took control of Mecca.
The current war with Iran started in 1979 when Iran became an Islamic Republic. “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” became their official policy. The Iranian regime has squandered billions of dollars on trying to eliminate Israel. The Iranian policy is clear. First conquer the Saturday people, then subjugate the Sunday people.
Iran has used its vast wealth to export terrorism across the world. They have used proxies to bring death and destruction wherever they can. They have armed and financed proxy terrorist entities in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and have tried to incite the Palestinians to attack Israel. In the last two months, they have attacked the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. They have attacked ships using the international waterway known as the Straits of Hormuz. They and their proxies have fired thousands of missiles at civilian targets. They have killed tens of thousands of their own citizens protesting against their policies. The regime and its proxies have broken international law left, right and center. Other than America and Israel, the world simply ignores their genocidal behavior.
Poison Ivy. The Qatari government sends billions of dollars to Ivy League American colleges yearly, forcing institutions to adapt and allow violent pro-Palestinian protests to thrive across the country. Seen here are U.S. Police at Cornell University following antisemitic incident. Qatar has become the largest foreign donor to U.S. universities, with over $6 billion in funding recorded since the 1980s and billions more in donations between 2001 and 2021. Photo: Getty Images)
For decades Iran has been saying that their nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. If you believe that, then you are living in Lala land. If Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, then they do not need to enrich uranium to levels that have no peaceful purposes. Iran is without doubt a serial liar.
Tuition of Terror. Qatari money flows into U.S. universities fueling hate and violence against Jews. Straight out of the Nazi text book was this poster seen at Columbia University depicting all Israelis as skunks reminiscent of the reference to Jews as vermin.
Ever since the end of the Second World War, the concept of “unconditional surrender” has been removed from the lexicon of international affairs. What has happened is that rules of warfare now demand proportional responses. This policy does not end wars. What it does is perpetuate endless conflicts. Professor Alan Dershowitz jokes that America is building special F35 aircrafts for Israel with 3 seats for a pilot, a navigator and a lawyer.
In the last two months, America and Israel have massively reduced the capacity of Iran and its proxy terrorist organizations to wage war. Neither Iran, nor any of its proxies have surrendered or been defeated. Their leadership has been decimated, but they have not changed their intentions. The world is now calling for a ceasefire with Iran. This is the hudna trap.
Exporter of Terror. Iran has long been designated as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, using its vast wealth — primarily from oil and petrochemical exports — to finance, arm, and train a network of proxy militant groups across the Middle East and beyond.
If sanctions on Iran are lifted, and the regime remains in power, then the regime will do exactly what Muhammad did. They will rearm and attack when they are ready.
The attack on America on September 11, 2001, was a pivotal moment in world affairs. The world was instantly divided into those that were horrified by what occurred, and those who celebrated the devastation. In the name of multiculturalism, diversity and equal opportunity the very people that cheered the attackers, have since been invited into the West and have become citizens. They have been financed and radicalized by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and other oil rich Arab countries to promote chaos and to destabilize the Western world. They are using free speech and democracy to gain power and to destabilize the countries that they have immigrated to.
Militant Islam is now the greatest threat to the liberal Western way of life. Russia and China do not have tens of millions of supporters living in the West. On the other hand, there are already tens of millions of Islamists living in the west who see themselves as part of the army of Islam. They are well financed and organized and because of their numbers, they are playing a crucial role in democratic elections in the West. Aircraft carriers, nuclear powered submarines, missiles and drones cannot be used against them. In America they are totally protected by the American Constitution. There are elected members of congress who are Muslims who refuse to condemn the policy of “Death to America“. They and their followers are opposed to everything that made America into a superpower. Like the mountain pine beetle, they intend to hollow out America until it withers and dies. It is time for the West to recognize who its enemies are to stop treating them as allies.
About the writer:
Accountant Neville Berman had an illustrious sporting career in South Africa, being twice awarded the South African State Presidents Award for Sport and was a three times winner of the South African Maccabi Sportsman of the Year Award. In 1978 he immigrated to the USA to coach the United States men’s field hockey team, whereafter, in 1981 he immigrated to Israel where he practiced as an accountant and then for 20 years was the Admin Manager at the American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel. He is married with two children and one granddaughter.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
A discourse with the editor reveals failures and fears to take on Islamic fundamentalism.
By Lawrence Nowosenetz
The Daily Friend (DFr) is a publication of the South African Institute of Race Relations, a proud an distinguished organisation established almost 100 years ago which has always stood for promoting democracy, freedom and rule of law. In short, classical liberalism.
In a recent text conversation with Michael Morris (MM) the editor of DFr I drew his attention to the statement of Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, head of Gift of the Givers who was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cape Town. This subject was the basis of an article by the writer: University of Cape Town’s ultimate degradation – honouring Dr Sooliman (Lay of the Land 31 March 2026).
Dr Sooliman who is widely lauded as a great humanitarian expressed some extreme views which are quite irreconcilable with democracy and freedom. In a public interview on 7 October 2024, being the first anniversary of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, he said:
“I don’t follow international law or human law. I follow Koranic law. I am a Muslim. I don’t need any permission from anybody in the world to tell me what to do. I break the laws all the time. Breaking the law is laws of the West and people and governments. It’s not Islamic law. I follow Islamic law, and Islamic law overrides any other law. … I don’t have to follow any law. My law is very clear to me. Allah himself has instructed me. I don’t need men to tell me what to do. I don’t follow them.”
Islamic law is quite different to Western law in that whereas democracy separates the state and its legal authority from religion, Koranic law is theocratic and makes no such distinction. The supreme authority is a religious leader whose authority cannot be questioned or challenged by legal restraints. Sharia, the legal framework of Koranic law does not protect individual rights as understood in liberal democracy. It is repressive and authoritarian. Women and homosexuals are oppressed and discriminated against. Apostacy is punishable by death. Historically non-Muslims were given the status of Dhimmi in Muslim countries where they were treated as inferiors, had to pay a special tax and had to dress in a certain way to identify themselves as non-Muslims. This is where the Star of David attached to the clothing of Jews originated. These practices are no longer followed but indicate the fundamentalism of Sharia law. Today Iran and Afghanistan are examples of Islamist repressive authoritarian theocratic rule.
Mr Morris was invited by the writer to express whether this statement of Dr Sooliman was in accordance with democracy and the rule of law in South Africa. He was not in agreement. He was not prepared to say that the statement of Dr Sooliman was a clear expression of rejection of South African law. His opposition to censuring Dr Sooliman for his adherence to a theocratic ideology and rejection of man-made law are worth examining in order to expose the serious flaws. At the outset Mr Morris endorses a dispassionate approach and in a spirit of enquiry, whether he lives up to that desirable standard is in doubt:
MM: “The statement was short and cannot be taken on face value. The true test of what he meant would be to interview Dr Sooliman to obtain clarity or provide further context.”
Michael Morris, editor at the Daily Friend.
There is a profound moral principal involved being that people are accountable for their deeds. Speech is included. More so when the statement is made publicly by a public figure such as Dr Sooliman. It is perfectly proper and widely practised to comment on face value of what prominent people say. Importantly, although he made this statement in 2024, despite countless interviews he has given since then, he has never modified or repudiated a single word. Strangely he has never been asked what he meant. No one seems to have misunderstood his message. His statement was sufficiently comprehensive to confirm that he rejects laws of man. His language is plain and unambiguous. Shorter statements than his such as political slogans have traction and are usually well understood without any embellishment.
MM: “It is unfair to single out the “fervent religiosity” used by Dr Sooliman as it is much like the views by Jewish and Christian fundamentalists who declare they owe fealty only to God and no other. There have been comments to this effect made by readers of the DFr. Are they also subversive of the very values UCT should be safeguarding?”
There is a fundamental difference between the fundamentalist readers of DFr and Dr Sooliman. He is a public figure who received a high honour for his humanitarianism. This is unique and unprecedented. No leader, whether fundamentalist or otherwise has publicly rejected the law of South Africa in the democratic era. The last time that happened was during Apartheid.
Islamism is radically different to any Jewish or Christian “fervent religiosity”. The ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, political Islam, which Dr Sooliman supports goes much further. It promotes using violence in the form of Jihad to establish domination and power in non-Muslim countries. Dr Sooliman, through Gift of the Givers made donations to Al Aqsa Foundation, an organisation forming part of the Union of Good, a coalition of Islamic charities supporting Hamas’ infrastructure, an organisation on the US State Department list of foreign terrorist organizations. The chairman of Union of Good was Sheik Yusef Al-Qaradawi a high-ranking member of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2011, Dr Sooliman received an award from Sheik Yusef Al- Qaradawi for his service to Palestine. Al-Qaradawi is known as the key figure in shaping the concept of violent jihad and the one who allowed carrying out terror attacks, including suicide bombing attacks, against Israeli citizens, the US forces in Iraq, and some of the Arab regimes. He was banned from entering some Western and Arab countries. A true humanitarian would have distanced himself from Al-Qaradawi as many Muslim leaders have done.
Proud Lawbreaker Honored. Dr Imtiaz Sooliman who was honored at the University of Cape Town (UCT) by conferring on him an honorary doctorate for his humanitarianism, says ,“I don’t follow international law or human law. I follow Koranic law. I am a Muslim. I don’t need any permission from anybody in the world to tell me what to do. I break the laws all the time.”
Certainly, no religious Jewish or Christian leader in South Africa has publicly defied democratic South African law in the name of religion. If indeed people of any faith have made similar public religious claims to Dr Sooliman, they ought to be wholly and immediately censured. Such statements violate the raison d’etre of democracy: The social contract which has underpinned liberal democracy for centuries. This is worthy of guarding by custodians of freedom such as The Daily Friend .
MM: “Not only the Koran, but the Torah and Bible are not repositories of human rights either”
At best a half truth. Indeed, there are parts of the Jewish and Christian Bible such as acceptance of slavery that are today abhorrent. However, modern political notions of justice and individual liberty owe much to Jewish and Christian teachings, rather than the Koran. The US Constitution is a prime example of the influence of Christianity. Koranic law places submission to Allah as a foundational value whereas the same cannot be said of Judaism and Christianity with regard to the relationship with God. Judaism teaches a holy covenant and Christianity teaches love of God through Jesus Christ. Islamic theocracy is inconsistent with the rule of the law of man.
MM: “Preserving liberty cannot be advanced by curbing liberty. Freedom of speech must be tolerated in order to counter intolerant ideas.”
In principle, yes, subject to Popper below. There is no suggestion of curbing the freedom of speech of Dr Sooliman. His speech is however subject to censure. The DFr should be in the forefront of declaring Dr Sooliman’s statement inappropriate and in clear conflict with Western democracy and liberty. Karl Popper, the renown Austrian-born British philosopher to whom I referred in our conversation, proposed the paradox of tolerance:
“We should therefore claim in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, in the same way as we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal.” (My emphasis)
The Open Society and its Enemies Vol 1: K.R Popper (Routlege 1966) p 211
Dr Sooliman’s statement has not reached the criminal level but his Islamist theocratic views are clearly on the trajectory of intolerance. To repeat: He should be censured, not prevented from expressing himself freely. The South African Constitution itself recognises limitations to basic rights. Section 36 provides that the Bill of Rights “for limitation to the extent that it is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity equality and freedom …” There is no room for repressive Sharia authority in South African law.
MM: “Confronting him with semi-facts, innuendo, guilt by association and so on, only risks making him seem strong and you seem weak.”
A somewhat vague, personal and unsubstantiated remark unworthy of dispassionate discourse. The confrontation is based on the ipse dixit (exact words) of Dr Sooliman. There is nothing semi factual or innuendo (suggestion). His Islamist Muslim Brotherhood affiliations are on public record and indeed his own biography makes that plain. It is the duty of responsible people to call out dangers to democracy – no contest of strength is involved. Just accurate and reasonable analysis to enlighten and inform.
MM: “The meaning given to Dr Sooliman’s statement by the writer was convenient to his preconceptions.”
This is an ad hominem, personal and unsupported attack on the objectivity and the careful, fact-based assessment by the writer. The ideological background of Dr Sooliman is well documented and this includes beyond any question his adherence to the Muslim Brotherhood teachings as well as his support of Hamas. These are not preconceptions or subjective opinions of the writer but well documented background history on the worldview and political stance of Dr Sooliman. No reasonable person can conclude otherwise.
IN CONCLUSION
On 27 October 2025 Dr Sooliman declared to certain UCT interested parties:
“… to threaten your students and your university because you’re acting on the base of Israel. I think you should be stripped of your citizenship and thrown out of the country.”
An illiberal proposal which raises serious problems not merely because of its injustice and unconstitutionality, but also because it would require man-made law and enforcement to put into effect. The same legal structure Dr Sooliman says he does not need. It also is problematic because it is intrinsically anti- humanitarian and in violation of basic human rights. It does not behove a person who is bestowed with a prestigious honour for his services to society to make such dishonourable remarks.
Fortunately, South Africa has principled leaders prepared to speak out in upholding democracy. Recently convicted and sentenced EFF political leader Julius Malema made threatening and disparaging remarks about the prosecution and judiciary. This too cannot be tolerated.
“At a time when South Africa continues to confront significant challenges within its criminal justice system, it is important that leaders act responsibly and uphold the institutions designed to protect citizens. Accountability must be accepted with dignity, and disagreements must be addressed within the framework of the law. The rule of law is not negotiable. It is the foundation upon which our democracy stands. Undermining it, through reckless and unfounded attacks on the Judiciary, places that foundation at risk, and with it, the rights and freedoms of all South Africans.
Statement issued by Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach MP, DA Spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development, 17 April 2026.
It is troubling that an editor should go such lengths to find contrived and disingenuous arguments to evade the pressing and unavoidable reality that Dr Sooliman holds very hostile views on Western democracy and the rule of law which stand uncontradicted. The Daily Friend should protect freedom of expression by publishing the comments made by the writer about the views of Dr Sooliman as they are central to protection of democracy. At the very least, freedom of speech demands a frank and open publication of the concerns raised, no matter how unreasonable or disagreeable these are to Mr Morris. The loser in stifling this crucial examination of Dr Sooliman’s language is the hard fought South African liberal democracy itself.
About the writer:
Born in Pretoria Lawrence Nowosenetz obtained his BA at University of the Witwatersrand and LLB at the University of South Africa. He has been admitted as an Attorney in South Africa and as an advocate in South Africa. He practiced at the Pretoria and Johannesburg Bar and worked as a human rights and labour lawyer at the Legal Resources Centre a public interest law firm. Lawrence was Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and completed professional internship in the USA. He was a a labour arbitrator and mediator, part time Senior Commissioner at the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) as well as a panelist at Tokiso Dispute Settlement. He was a member of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and Pretoria Chairman. He has also served as an Acting Judge of the Hight Court, South Africa. He now lives in Tel Aviv.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
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Targeting Tankers. Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off a vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. At least 22 civilian ships – tankers, container ships and other bulk carriers – have been attacked. (Reuters/Royal Thai Navy, Media Office of Iraqi Ports, Mohammed Aty)
ARTICLES
Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.
(1)
THE HOUSE THAT ZIONISM BUILT
The Nation that roars like lions is powered by Zionism By Rolene Marks
Grit and Guts. Brutally attacked, mauled and maimed, Israelis recover, rise and roar. The writer reflects on Israel’s history as one of resilience and restoration as it survives and thrives.
Khan’s detention has coincided with broader crackdowns on his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). By Michael Jankelowitz
‘King’ Khan. Imran Khan hoisted by his team-mates after winning the World Cup in 1992, went on to become PM before ending up in prison. “Why,” asks the writer of President Trump whorepeatedly calls on Israel’s President Herzog to pardon PM Netanyahu, is he “silent on the fate of thisnow imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan?”
Israel cultural icon Zubin Mehta, who turns 90 this week cancels all his 2026 performances in Israel over politics. Should the hotel that embraced him for decades memorialize his legacy? A personal view. By Motti Verses
Maestro’s Misguided Message. Zubin Mehta’s enriching connection to Israel extended beyond the concert hall. For decades, that ‘connection’ was also embedded in his ‘home away from home’ in Israel, the Hilton Tel Aviv, where even a suite was once named in his honor.
BATTLE FOR THE LEGACY AND SOUL OF FAMED SOUTH AFRICAN JEWISH FAMILY FUND
Concerned directors, who are family members, have taken three fellow directors of the Mauerberger Foundation Fund (MFF) to court for alleged serious breach of fiduciary duty, deliberate deception and mismanagement.
By Marika Sboros
Grandfather’s Glare. With Morris Mauerberger’s bust looking on, granddaughter Dianna Yach presents amillion-rand donation from the family’s foundation to Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, who aligns with extremistIslamist jihadist forces that seek Israel’s destruction. Her unhappy family are going to court!
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
20 April 2026 – Israel to observe Yom Hazikaron. Argentina and Israel sign the Isaac Accords and more on The Israel Brief.
21 April 2026 – From grief to celebration –Israel bows its head for Memorial Day before celebrating Independence Day on The Israel Brief.
22 April 2026 – Chag Ha’atzmaut Sameach from the Ben Shemen Forest! Happy 78th birthday, Israel!!! The Israel Brief.
23 April 2026 – Israel appoints the first ever Special Envoy to the Christian world, a Princely moron and Presidential mensch – all on The Israel Brief.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
US President Donald Trump repeatedly calls on Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Why is Trump silent on the fate of imprisoned former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan? Khan is ill, denied visits by his sons, and is languishing in a Pakistani jail as Pakistan tries to boost its international image by brokering a peace deal between the US and Iran.
The continued imprisonment of Imran Khan is increasingly difficult to view as a straightforward matter of law and order. Rather, it bears the troubling hallmarks of political retribution – an outcome that undermines not only Pakistan’s democratic institutions but also its global credibility.
Khan is no ordinary political figure. Before entering politics, he was a national icon who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. His transition from sports hero to reformist politician gave him a unique legitimacy, particularly among younger and urban voters. As prime minister, he cultivated an image – fairly or not – of an outsider challenging entrenched elites.
‘King’ Khan. Imran Khan is hoisted up by his team-mates after winning the World Cup in 1992. (Photo: Tony Feder/Getty Image)
KHAN’S REMOVAL FROM OFFICE AND LEGAL CASES
His removal from office in 2022 via a parliamentary no-confidence vote was constitutionally valid. However, what followed raises serious concerns. Khan has since faced a barrage of legal cases, ranging from corruption to charges related to state secrets. While accountability is essential in any democracy, the sheer volume and timing of these cases invite skepticism. It is difficult to ignore the perception that the legal system is being weaponized to sideline a political rival.
The principle at stake is not whether Khan is above the law – he is not. The issue is whether the law is being applied fairly and independently. Reports from international observers and human rights organizations have highlighted irregularities in due process, limitations on Khan’s legal team, and restrictions on media coverage. These factors collectively weaken the credibility of the proceedings against him.
Moreover, Khan’s detention has coincided with broader crackdowns on his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Supporters have been arrested, rallies curtailed, and political activity constrained. This wider pattern reinforces the argument that his imprisonment is part of a coordinated effort to suppress opposition rather than a neutral application of justice.
Big Attraction. From cricket fans to political supporters, Imran Khan had the appeal to attract such as these PTI supporters at a rally in Islamabad. (Photo: anveer Shahzad)
POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND INJUSTICE
Pakistan’s history is, unfortunately, replete with instances where political leaders have been jailed under contentious circumstances. From Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Nawaz Sharif, the line between accountability and political engineering has often been blurred. Khan’s case risks becoming another chapter in this cycle, perpetuating instability rather than resolving it.
The consequences extend beyond domestic politics. Pakistan faces significant economic and security challenges that require unity and public trust. The perception that political competition is being settled through courts rather than ballots erodes confidence in the system. It also complicates relations with international partners who prioritize rule of law and democratic norms.
Behind the Crease to Behind Bars. It’s been an extraordinary journey for a man destined for greatness.
Releasing Khan – whether through bail, acquittal, or a transparent and expedited legal process – would not mean endorsing his policies or absolving him of potential wrongdoing. It would signal a commitment to fairness and institutional integrity. If the state’s case against him is strong, it should withstand scrutiny in an open and credible judicial process.
An All-rounder. The Cricketer, the Celebrity, the Politician and now the Prisoner.
Ultimately, democracies are judged not by how they treat their allies but by how they treat their opponents. Pakistan now faces a defining test. Continuing to hold Imran Khan under contested circumstances risks deepening political divisions and damaging the country’s democratic fabric. Allowing due process to unfold transparently – and ensuring that it is free from political influence – is not just in Khan’s interest. It is in Pakistan’s.
Country’s Cricket Captain to its Prime Minister. Imran Khan was a mover and shaker.
About the writer:
The writer is a Jerusalem-based commentator on international affairs and the Jewish world.He grew up in South Africa and has been living in Israel since 1971. He studied at Bar Ilan University where he served on its student government. Following his studies, he worked for 35 years in various positions at the World Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency for Israel, where he served as its spokesman to the International Media.
*Feature picture: Cricket player to power broker – Imran Khan. (Photo: Associated Press).
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
