KNOW YOUR FRIENDS – AND YOUR ENEMIES

How oil money has corrupted the world

By Neville Berman

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.   

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).

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

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).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 26 April 2026

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond.

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THE ISRAEL BRIEF –20-23 April 2026
(Click on the blue title)



Lay of the Land’s Photo Pick of the Week

CEASE FIRE is now a ‘SEAS’ FIRE

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.

THE HOUSE THAT ZIONISM BUILT
(Click on the blue title)



(2)

WHAT HAPPENED TO IMRAN KHAN?

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 this now imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan?”

WHAT HAPPENED TO IMRAN KHAN?
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(3)

CANCELLED CULTURE AT 90

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.

CANCELLED CULTURE AT 90
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(4)

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 a million-rand donation from the family’s foundation to Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, who aligns with extremist Islamist jihadist forces that seek Israel’s destruction. Her unhappy family are going to court!

BATTLE FOR THE LEGACY AND SOUL OF FAMED SOUTH AFRICAN JEWISH FAMILY FUND
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LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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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 ISRAEL BRIEF – 20-23 April 2026

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).

WHAT HAPPENED TO IMRAN KHAN?

Khan’s detention has coincided with broader crackdowns on his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

By Michael Jankelowitz 

(Courtesy to The Jerusalem Post where article first appeared)

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).

CANCELLED CULTURE AT 90

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

Many believe there would never be a slowdown for the legendary conductor marking his 90th birthday this week on April 29. His presence on stage, baton in hand, felt almost immune to time. Born in Mumbai, Zubin Mehta became one of the most enduring figures in classical music, and his relationship with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, spanning more than five decades, remains one of the longest in the field.

Contribution to Culture. Zubin Mehta receives the Presidential Award from Israeli president Shimon Peres for his contribution to Israeli culture. (Photo: Haaretz)

Mehta’s connection to Israel extended beyond the concert hall. For decades, that ‘connection’ was also embedded in a place, the Hilton Tel Aviv, where I was part of the management. Zubin was not just a guest – but a constant presence.

Decades of Delight. Prior to a farewell Gala event after a lifetime of delighting Israeli concert goers, Zubin Metha is seen here (center) being interviewed in 2019 at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv with the writer (left) and Hilton Israel Magazine editor David Kaplan. (Photo: Motti Verses)

In the late 1960s, when Tel Aviv offered few international-standard hotels, the Hilton stood at the forefront. Mehta, still early in his international career, was quickly embraced by the Philharmonic’s circle. The hotel, in turn, embraced him. Over time, that relationship deepened into something unusual: a leading global artist becoming inseparable from the identity of a hotel.

Music not Missiles. Zubin Mehta conducts a concert in 1977 at the opening ceremony of the ‘Good Fence’ on the Israeli-Lebanese border. (Photo: David Rubinger)

At one point, even a rooftop suite at the Hilton bore his name for more than 20 years. It was not a marketing gesture; it reflected a real, lived connection. Mehta himself took part in placing the plaque. A small but telling act. For years, guests passing through the adjacent lounge would see that name, quietly linking the hotel to one of the world’s great conductors.

Trading Places. Switching from a conductor’s baton to an engineer’s hat,  Maestro Mehta 30 years ago places a new plaque by the door of the rooftop suite named after him, following a renovation. (Photo: Motti Verses)

He was a familiar figure there. Not only at formal events such as  fundraising galas, state-attended evenings, performances  but  also in ordinary moments – at the Concierge desk; in the lobby. Present, accessible, part of the daily Hilton’s rhythmic routine.

During the 1991 Gulf War, as Iraqi missiles rained down on Tel Aviv, Mehta remained at the hotel. At a time when most foreign visitors had left, his presence was not symbolic but consistent with who he had been in Israel for decades. As he said at the time, “I couldn’t imagine not being here.”

Sights and Sounds. Zubin Mehta with gas mask visits the site of the first Iraqi Scud missile strike of the Gulf War in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 1991. (Photo: Colin Davey/Getty Images)

What is more, he performed under fire getting special permission since emergency government measures prohibited mass gatherings. Baton in hand, he led concerts for several mornings in a row, as there was a strict night curfew during the war.  The most visually catching addition to people’s dress at these ‘concerts’ were the bringing of their gas masks into the performances.

In later years, the hotel changed. Renovations altered its layout, and the original suite bearing his name disappeared. A posh generic suite was assigned to him, but without the same recognition. By then, Mehta himself had slowed. His appearances became less frequent. The connection, while still there, was no longer as visible.

Celebratory Concert. Celebrating in 2005, the Hilton’s 40th anniversary in Israel, Mehta conducts an unforgettable open-air concert staged over the hotel’s temporarily covered pool. (Photo: Hilton Israel Mmagazine)

A few weeks before the Covid plague, the Hilton hosted a farewell gala marking his retirement from the Israel Philharmonic. It was an evening of respect and closure. The Grand Ballroom was filled with those who had known his contribution firsthand.

Inspiring words to Enriching Sounds. Mehta passionately addresses in 2015 the audience during an Israeli Philharmonic fundraising event in the Hilton, Tel Aviv’s Grand Ballroom. (Photo: Motti Verses)

During that moment, I thought the story should not end there. That the hotel should consider restoring what had been lost  and once again name a suite after him. It seemed appropriate – even obvious. I thought then that this nice gesture should be at his 90th birthday.

Now, although I’m no longer with the Hilton, I changed my mind and for different reasons.

At the beginning of 2026, Mehta announced that he would cancel all his scheduled performances in Israel, explaining that he could not separate music from politics. It was a clear, public decision, regardless of the difficult years Israel is facing since the October 7 2023 massacre. It was a position that stood in contrast to the posture he had maintained for decades – one of solidarity and support for the State of Israel.

Portrait of an Artist. The Maestro assists in hanging a portrait of himself in the Zubin Metha Suite at the Hilton, Tel Aviv, following the 1991 Gulf War.  (Photo: Motti Verses)

For much of his career, Mehta was seen here as someone above political divisions. His music, and his presence, operated in a different space. One that connected rather than separated. That was the basis of his standing in Israel.

The decision to withdraw reframed that legacy. Not gradually, but abruptly – leaving a jarring discordant note; and ‘unfinished symphony’.

A hotel suite commemorating his contribution is not just a physical space. It carries meaning. It reflects an ongoing relationship, not only past achievement, but continued identification. Naming a suite after someone is a statement that the connection still holds.

In this case, it does not.

Mehta’s contribution to Israel’s cultural life remains significant. That history cannot be erased. But recognition is not only about the past. It also depends on how that past is concluded.

Legacies are shaped over time, but they are also defined at their end. Zubin Metha leaves on his 90th year disappointed Israeli concert goers with memories, but also sadly with ‘The Sound of Silence’. And this, after October 7, the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust!

End of an Era.  Is this the final note, with Zubin Mehta appearing this January on India TV explaining why he cancelled all his scheduled performances in Israel? (Photo: YouTube)

You have been in life a “classic” and wish you continue your journey to entertain and inspire – only a pity not one last time in the Jewish State, whose culture you have enriched over a memorable melodious lifetime.

Sic transit gloria Israel, Maestro.



*Feature picture: Conductor Zubin Mehta attends the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Duet Gala at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on November 10, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.(Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty)



About the writer:

The author is a seasoned hotel expert, traveler, writer, and videographer, and formerly served as Head of Public Relations for Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Israel. Today, as a travel writer and hospitality trends analyst, his insights and experiences are regularly featured in leading Israeli media outlets.






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).

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

(Courtesy of BizNews where article first appeared)

In the quiet, wood-panelled world of South African philanthropy, the Mauerberger Foundation Fund (MFF) has long stood as a bastion of generational legacy and social justice.

That is set to change with an explosive, urgent filing in the Western Cape High Court on April 13, 2026, against three of the MFF’s five directors, including MFF Board Chair and Managing Director Dianna Yach, granddaughter of the Fund’s industrialist-philanthropist founder Morris Mauerberger.


Devious Directors? Legendary  Jewish philanthropist, Morris Mauerberger, established the Mauerberger Foundation Fund in 1936 to support a multitude of causes in Israel, mostly in education. His granddaughter, Dianna Yach, is one of three directors who may be undermining the family legacy, according to court papers.
 

The applicants are two of the MFF’s directors: Yach’s cousin, Steven Levy, a businessman and the Board’s longest-serving director, and her brother, Dr Derek Yach, a US-based medical doctor, public health specialist and World Health Organisation (WHO) veteran.

The interim relief the applicants seek, pending the final determination of the court proceedings, is Dianna Yach’s immediate suspension from the MFF Board, along with fellow directors Igshaan Higgins and Prof Brian Figaji. 

Higgins is an attorney and a director of De Klerk en Van Gend Incorporated. He is also founder-curator-director of the Cape Heritage Museum (also called the Cape Muslim and Slave Heritage Museum) that receives generous MFF funding.

Figaji is an engineer and Chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), has served on the UNESCO Executive Board and chaired the South African National Commission for UNESCO. He is Chair of the fishing company, I&J, a trustee of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust and Chair of the Abe Bailey Trust. 

As CPUT Chancellor, Figaji serves an institution that receives MFF funding for the “Brian Figaji Scholarship for Women in Engineering”.

Crucially, among the final relief sought is for the court to declare Yach, Higgins and Figaji “delinquent directors“. 

Under South African law, the declaration can be a professional death sentence. A delinquent director is disqualified from holding a directorship in any company, from being the trustee of a Trust or bearing office in a non-profit organisation (NPO) for at least seven years. 

In some cases, the declaration is for life. That legal “nuclear option” is reserved for those found guilty of gross abuse of position, wilful misconduct or a total breach of fiduciary trust. It brands them as a permanent threat to the public interest.

A leading precedent is the Pretoria High Court case of Dudu Myeni, former Chair of the South African Airways Board. She was declared a delinquent director for life in 2020 after a relentless legal challenge by OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse), a civil-action NPO dedicated to challenging the abuse of authority and misappropriation of public funds. The order led to Myeni’s personal financial ruin. OUTA successfully pursued punitive legal costs against her personally, moving for sequestration when she failed to pay. 

In the present case, Kumesh Moodley, attorney for the applicants, says that an application to have directors declared delinquent under section 162 of the Companies Act is “a step of the most serious consequence.” His clients have not taken this action lightly or prematurely.

“They have taken it now because their evidence before the Court, and the gravity of what is at stake for the MFF and its beneficiaries, dictate that it is not a step open to them to avoid,” Moodley says.

“It is a step they are obliged to take in discharging their fiduciary duties as directors.”

For Figaji, these court proceedings are not the first relating to how he carries out his fiduciary duties. In the 2020 High Court case involving Marib Holdings (the Chapman’s Peak tollgate operator), valid legal grounds were proven for shareholders to sue Figaji and two fellow directors for a potential breach of fiduciary duties.  The court record established that the directors bypassed the Companies Act by paying themselves just over R2-million in fees in the 2017 financial year, without the required shareholder approval, leading the judge to rule that their actions must face legal scrutiny. Their attempt to use the Court to block a shareholder’s quest for accountability was unsuccessful. 

At the core of their application, Levy and Derek Yach’s extensive court filing of over 1100 pages is a battle for the legacy and soul of the institution that Mauerberger created in the late 1930s.


Seeking Suspension. Global health expert and WHO veteran, Dr. Derek Yach (above), a grandson of Morris Mauerberger, is one of two applicants who have applied to the Western Cape High Court for the immediate suspension from the MFF board of his sister, Dianna Yach, and fellow directors Igshaan Higgins and Prof Brian Figaji. 
 

The MFF has funded community-based and academic institutions in South Africa, Israel and the West Bank in education, health and alleviation of poverty for more than 80 years.

The applicants claim that Dianna Yach has effectively seized control of and laid “siege” to the MFF, turning it into a personal “fiefdom”. They say it is one where compliance, procedure and corporate governance have been rendered relics of the past. 

No fewer than nine formal complaints have been made against her, Higgins and Figaji for breaches of the Companies Act and conduct inconsistent with the overriding duty to act in the MFF’s best interests. 

Levy and Derek Yach allege a deliberate, systematic “governance collapse” and “methodology of financial misrepresentation” behind more than 11 years of constitutional non-compliance with the MFF MOI (Memorandum of Incorporation).

The MOI records Mauerberger’s express wishes. It imposes a mandatory distribution regime requiring 50% of annual, distributable income to be allocated to Israeli entities, 25% to South African Jewish entities and 25% to South African non-Jewish entities. 

Despite this prerequisite, from 2014 the Israeli allocations were skewed, declining as low as 4% in 2017; 6% in 2021; 7% in 2022 and 5% in 2023. In 2024, Israeli beneficiaries made up 10% of total donations, which were just under R15- million. 

The applicants argue that the MFF lost its primary “moderating influence” in a matter of days when two experienced directors walked away in early 2025.

The papers reveal that brother Jonathan Yach resigned as a director with immediate effect on December 25, 2024, after 23 years of service. He stated that “recent events” had fundamentally challenged his perspective on how to best serve the MFF.


Resignation challenges. Court papers reveal that  Jonathan Yach, brother of Dianna Yach, resigned as an MFF director in 2024, after 23 years of service citing challenging “recent events”.  Jonathan is seen above as at an award ceremony at the Technion in Haifa in June 2019, as a trustee of the MFF Research Award for Transformative Technologies for Africa. The MFF  prize aims to strengthen academic ties and the exchange of ideas between researchers in Israel and Africa to “harness new technologies for the benefit of humanity.” (Photo: Technion Spokesperson)

On January 3, 2025, independent director Adv Joe van Dorsten, a renowned author and tax law and Companies Act expert, resigned in direct response to Dianna Yach’s “personal criticism” and declaration that she had “lost trust” in him after he raised reasoned governance concerns about boardroom transparency.

The applicants allege that the resignations were not just administrative exits. They were the first documented casualties of a clear pattern where independent directors who dare to challenge the Chair are not heard but are instead driven out.

With these two directors out, Higgins, who sits on the UCT Law Clinic Advisory Board with Yach, was appointed to the Board.

In this way, court papers say that Yach formed a majority “voting bloc” with Higgins and Figaji that marginalised dissenting voices and insulated her conduct from any form of meaningful oversight. 

The MFF’s departure far from the MOI’s legacy path and non-compliance deepened, the applicants claim. 

They note that Figaji conceded in August 2025 that funding allocations were non-compliant with the MOI. He proposed returning the MFF to compliant status by 2028.  Yach and Higgins promptly supported and accepted the proposal. 

The applicants refer to this roadmap of “deliberate deviation” as a “programme of continued non-compliance, dressed in the language of gradualism.”  In contrast, Levy had proposed “a path to immediate restoration of the Founder’s wishes”.

They claim further that Yach has routinely ignored MOI’s mandates through “creative accounting” designed to provide a false appearance of constitutional compliance.

One example is the “intentional” miscategorisation of a controversial R1-million MFF donation in September 2025 to Gift of the Givers charity as an allocation to an Israeli beneficiary.  

Perhaps the single most explosive evidence in the filings is what the applicants call the “Ghost Email” fabrication. It marked the transition from a messy boardroom brawl to an alleged scandal of documented instances of fabrication, fraud and fundamental dishonesty. 

It was set off, according to court papers, by a relatively large R600,000 MFF grant allocated in the 2025/2026 budget to Higgins’s Cape Heritage Museum. 

The applicants see this funding as a suspicious 500% increase in just five years, starting from R100,000 in 2021. Similarly, they see Higgins voting on his own 2025/2026 grants for his museum without disclosing his personal interest as breaching the Companies Act.

When Levy tried to act as a proper fiduciary by requesting a “Verification Register” to assess whether the grant was properly considered and to assess compliance and risk indicators, he says Yach responded dismissively. She apparently contended that non-executive directors are not entitled to that information and went so far as to invite Levy to resign and Higgins backed her up.

The message to directors appeared clear, say the applicants:

Stop asking questions or resign; either way, you are not getting the information you seek. 

Court papers present a digital forensics analysis showing that Higgins drafted a Board letter to block Levy’s attempted oversight of his own museum and sent it to Yach only, allowing her to pass it off on March 6, 2026, as her independent decision.

This effectively exposed the “Ghost Email” ruse, the applicants say, when she dispatched the complex document after a physically “improbable” 16-minute window. 

Perhaps most damning was Yach’s apparently simple oversight: in the rush, she failed to delete remnants of Higgins’s professional law-firm signature before firing the email off to the full Board.

It became a digital “smoking gun”.

By adopting the grantee’s objection as her executive decision, the applicants say Yach transformed “from the guardian of the grantor’s interests into the protector of the grantee’s interests.”

They see this as a pattern of “betrayal of office of the most extreme and gravest form.” 

They raised a separate event on March 31, 2026, supported by metadata establishing that Figaji used his personal computer to draft a resolution to appoint himself as MFF Vice-Chairperson. Yach then circulated it as her own proposal and later dismisses this misrepresentation as “procedural minutiae”.

Metadata show that this document was created just 55 seconds apart from a retaliatory disciplinary resolution against Levy. The applicants say this aimed to obstruct Levy’s attempts to access grantee funding information.

They say that Figaji officially recorded his vote in favour of his own appointment on April 1, 2026, without disclosing his authorship to the Board. On April 8, Yach announced Figaji’s “election” as Vice Chair of the MFF Board.

The applicants contend that this appointment is invalid and carries no authority as the resolution behind it was “clandestinely” engineered by the very person who stood to benefit from it. 

They see this as a “self-serving” breach of fiduciary duty designed to ensure that a “sympathetic successor” remained in power should the High Court suspend Yach as Chair. 

Levy and Derek Yach say these events involve different directors and dates but are linked by a single “modus operandi of concealment”. They say Figaji’s actions reinforced the bloc’s “retaliatory and self-serving character,” mimicking the “covert collaboration” that the “Ghost Email” exposed. 

Under the grandfather’s glare. With Morris Mauerberger’s bust looking on, his granddaughter, MFF chairperson Dianna Yach, presents a R1-million donation to Gift of the Givers CEO Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, who allegedly aligns with extremist Islamist jihadist forces that seek Israel’s destruction. 

Evidence of multiple attempts by both applicants to gain access to information on funding decisions over the years supports their contention of an incriminating “wall of silence”, which the respondents constructed.

They argue that “where three directors of a charitable foundation collectively refuse to engage with questions about the application of that foundation’s funds, the inference is that engagement would expose what silence is designed to conceal.”

Court papers note Dianna Yach’s unilateral suspension of the MFF’s decades-long commitment to funding Telfed, South African Zionist Federation (Israel) in March 2021. 

Telfed has long served as “a bridge between the Southern African Jewish diaspora and Israel, supporting immigrants (olim) and fostering the educational, cultural, and communal ties that bind (Jewish) communities across continents,” CEO Dorron Kline writes in a letter to MFF directors in March 2026.

When Kline engaged her at a donor gathering in Cape Town in March 2025 and raised the possibility of resuming Telfed’s relationship with the MFF, he recalls her conveying the following sentiment: 

“Israel’s reaction to the Hamas 7th October (2023) atrocity is outrageously disproportionate. Israel is clearly committing genocide. Therefore, Israel has lost its right to call itself a nation amongst other nations. There is no reason for Telfed to approach the Mauerberger Foundation for funding until the Israeli government ceases to kill innocents and agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian State.” 

The applicants see this as Yach’s pattern of holding the MFF hostage to her personal political beliefs with impunity. 

Initial court filings create an overwhelming impression of the respondents transforming the MFF Board into a virtuoso performance of “musical hats“. It is brimming with conflicts of interest, allowing them to rotate seamlessly at will into donors, recipients and “independent” auditors of their own self-advancement. 

Yach’s dual role as both MFF Chair and MD makes her the Foundation’s only paid employee. This allows her to control oversight of her own executive conduct, the applicants note. 

This structural conflict is mirrored in her senior governance roles at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she sits on its Council as one of two representatives elected by donors, and chairs the HR and other committees. 

Court papers show that UCT has become a primary beneficiary of “over-allocations” while Israeli funding has been systematically slashed. In 2023, for example, UCT received R3.8-million from the MFF, while the mandatory Israeli allocation was a mere R600,000. 

Critically, Yach voted in favour of academic boycotts against Israeli institutions at UCT as part of the “Gaza resolutions”. She then deposed to a sworn affidavit in the ongoing Mendelsohn lawsuit against the university, explicitly using her title as “Chair of the Mauerberger Foundation Fund” to support this political stance without Board authorisation or notification, the applicants allege.

In this intricate web of entanglements, the applicants say that Yach has advocated for boycotting the very beneficiaries MFF is constitutionally mandated to fund, while her colleagues moonlight as clandestine ghostwriters of their own grants and vice-chair appointments. 

As the matter heads to the High Court on May 4, 2026, the question remains:

Can a foundation survive when its “proper channels” are “actively barricaded by the very individuals who would later insist, with indignation, that those channels should have been used”?

The applicants are family but their filing is clearly not the fruits of a family squabble. They see it as their duty as fiduciaries to ensure that their grandfather’s legacy is preserved and that its beneficiaries’ work in South Africa and Israel continues to thrive with MFF support.

If the court finds that Dianna Yach, Higgins and Figaji have used “ghost” channels to govern and wilfully breach their fiduciary duties, the MFF may finally be forced to course-correct. 

*Dianna Yach, Brian Figaji and Igshaan Higgins were emailed for comment.

Yach replied by return email:

“I will not respond to any of the averments that you make at this time. I will request my lawyers to respond to you in due course, and only once the matter that you have referred to has been called in open court on 4 May 2026.”

Figaji and Higgins did not reply. 

All have since filed a notice of intention to oppose the application. They have until April 30, 2026 to submit answering affidavits. 



About the writer:

Marika Sboros is a South African freelance investigative journalist with decades of experience writing fulltime for the country’s top media titles on a wide range of topics. She started her career as a hard-news reporter in the newsroom of the now defunct Rand Daily Mail, a campaigning anti-government newspaper during the worst excesses of the apartheid era. She commutes between South Africa and the UK.






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 HOUSE THAT ZIONISM BUILT

The Nation that roars like lions is powered by Zionism

By Rolene Marks

“And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem and be a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and doing for them great and awesome things for your land, before your people whom you redeemed to yourself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?” Samuel 7:23

Maligned, demonized, misunderstood, bastardised and used as a pejorative, the word Zionism has become another “ism”. Simply put, Zionism is the Jewish right to self-determination in our ancient homeland, Israel and the right of the modern state to exist. You don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist and as antizionism, the latest iteration of the ancient hatred of antisemitism soars, I want to take a moment to celebrate the country that we have built. A nation is built by people and Israel’s people are nothing less than extraordinary. These past two years have been a lesson in heroism.

This is the house that Zionism built. The ordinary people who have become the heroes of story.

Holding-Off Hamas. South African born Cpt. Daniel Perez, 22, (left) a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion and his tank crew fought for hours against the Hamas invasion of the Nahal Oz IDF outpost until Daniel was killed alongside Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen. Daniel’s weapon (right) was found in a booby-trapped compound in the northern Gaza Strip. (Photo: IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

I watched former hostage, Matan Angrest, pale faced and frail, stand before the grieving family of his late commander, Cpt. Daniel Perez (z”l), and deliver a eulogy, stating his intention to walk beside them for the rest of his life. Angrest spoke of his willingness to go back into Gaza and retrieve the remains of Itay Chen (z”l), his fellow soldier from “Team Perez”. Chen’s remains were returned for burial in November 2025.  I watched this slight young man, barely 48 hours out of captivity, having difficulty standing but a superhuman strength to honour his captain. I was captivated by the integrity and sheer inner strength of this young man.  

I have watched the coverage of the funerals of soldiers and hostages laid to rest and the hundreds and sometimes thousands who line the routes and filled the cemeteries for someone they did not know personally, but knew and loved with their soul. I have also been to these funerals – and the pain of burying our finest sons and daughters cut down in their prime while defending our safety is a sorrow that cuts to the very core. Soldiers in Israel are the sum of us and when we refer to them as our sons and daughters, we mean it in the purest form.

I think of the almost superhero strength of hostage families who moved heaven and earth in every corner of the globe, to make sure that the world heard about and never forgot that their loved one in captivity was more than a picture on a poster – they were a universe. Some families got their loved ones back alive and can accompany them on their road to healing and recovery – but many, far too many, received their beloved to lay to rest. They are bound in the holy place reserved for the martyrs of our history.

Heroic Homecoming. First morning of freedom after returning from two years in Hamas captivity (seen here stepping out from the helicopter holding the Israeli flag), Matan Angrest said, “‘If it were up to me, I’d return to IDF service.”’ (Photo: IDF)

The women of this country are remarkable. They are every kind of wonder woman you could image. They are the ones who serve on the frontline and the ones who hold down the home front, who volunteer in every imaginable way. They are the wives, girlfriends, partners of soldiers, offering strength and support while our warriors defend and protect. The weight of responsibility that they carry on their shoulders is enormous and yet they are the unbreakable spine of our country. I think of women like Tali Hadad, a kindergarten teacher from Ofakim who rescued her wounded son and other victims amidst intense gunfire on 7 October or Rachel Goldberg-Polin, who in her fight to free her son, Hersh, from captivity inspired the world with her strength and humanity. Hersh was murdered along with 5 other hostages and the world, in turn, hold Rachel in her grief with love. These are just two examples of the many, many heroines.

A Mother’s Might. Anderson Cooper and Rachel Goldberg-Polin (CNN’s 60 Minutes) in her murdered son Hersh’s room, which she has kept as he left it. To Anderson’s statement that “you did more than anybody could possibly do,”  Rachel replied “… And sometimes, 100% is not enough.” 

Our women defending us in the skies flew missions to Iran as pilots and navigators to strike at the heart of the despotic regime that has persecuted their own women and girls. There is something magnificently poetic about that.

It takes herculean strength and courage for victims of sexual violence to speak about it – let alone publicly. On 7 October, Hamas committed the crime against humanity of sexual violence against women, girls and men. Most of the victims were murdered, their testimonies silenced forever. Summoning their extraordinary strength following captivity, at least 11 hostages, male and female have spoken publicly about the horrific sexual abuse they routinely endured in captivity. They are a living testament to the horrors that happened and an answer to deniers.

Prior to 7 October, many feared that should war break out, our young generation would be too engrossed in their devices to respond. Boy, did we get it wrong! They have more than risen to the challenge – I would go as far to say they are our finest generation. On 7 October, they did not wait for the call – as Hamas committed a trail of atrocity in their wake, our young warriors came home to defend our country. Those that were here did not wait – they grabbed what weapons they had, many paying the ultimate price.

Many of them rest in eternal peace in graveyards across the country, testament to lives gone far, far too soon.

The former hostages that held on to their faith in the depths of hell. The stories of what they endured are devastating – but they all held on to their faith, taking pride in their identity as Jews, all the while knowing that is why they were targeted. Their faith was their rebellion against torture and constant attempts to convert them to Islam. In the pits of the terror tunnels like their ancestors who held on to faith in the death camps during the Holocaust – and those that found secret ways to continue observance in Inquisition Spain or Soviet Russia. They welcomed in Shabbat, tried to observe the laws of Kashrut, said the Shema and all they could to sustain their faith. Their steadfast faith has inspired the same in so many around the world as antisemitism spreads in a deadly blaze of hate.  

The house that Zionism built was created by pioneers, stoic in the face of extreme challenges. Pioneers on many fronts like former hostage Gadi Moses. The octogenarian has vowed to rebuild his beloved kibbutz Nir Oz that was decimated on 7 October or Brig. Gen. Daniel Gold, the brains behind the Iron Dome or the countless others in the fields of science, medicine, agriculture, AI, culture and entertainment and many, many other fields.

Resilience and Renewal. “I sung Hatikvah as a hostage in Gaza to keep my hopes of being free alive,” said Gadi Moses (age 80) a farmer and peace activist kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023 and returned after 482 days in Gaza captivity, vowing to rebuild his community. (Photo: Ori Ben Hakoon)

The house that Zionism built has tikkun olam (repairing the world) as a pillar of its foundation. Herzl’s vision for the Jewish state was one that helped communities in Africa and around the world. Today, wherever disaster strikes or where help is needed, Israel answers the call – even in those places where we have no diplomatic relations or official recognition.

We are a nation of dreamers – for peace, to blaze a trail in the unknown – but we are also a nation of warriors. A nation that almost stands as a global anomaly because we know the price of not having our home and are proud of who we are and the values that we defend. Yes, there are divisions and internal disputes that threaten to rock the stability of our home – and we cannot allow hubris and disunity to find a permanent place. Our robust, democratic nature must be protected at all costs.

The House of Zionism is built on a solid foundation of strength, heroism, sacrifice, courage, love and an unshakeable millennia old love and connection. The house of Zionism has weathered storm after storm and despite the constant attacks and lies, will remain strong.

We are Aner Shapira and Hannah Szenesh, Eli Sharabi and Ahsan Daxa, we are Rachel Goldberg Polin and Ibrahim Kharuba. We are Yuval Raphael and Golda Meir. Shimon Peres and Artem Dolgopyat. We are King David and Devorah. We are Ben Gurion and Judah Maccabee. We are the sum of all of us throughout our noble history and have built this home, brick by brick.

For over two years, Israelis have lived with compounded trauma – but walking hand in hand with that, is this fierce resolve to live and to win. We are stubborn like that. On 7 October, we were hit as hard as we could be – and kicked repeatedly. Since then, we have fought back. We have fought on multiple fronts as Iran sought to surround us in a ring of fire. The pressure has been immense – but so has our stoic fortitude. Our ability to feel joy and treasure life has learnt to walk hand in hand with our grief. Both are ever present.

Israeli Grit. Israel Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar speaking on April 21, 2026 at the memorial ceremony for the force’s fallen soldiers at Pilots’ Hill, said “We took off on October 7 and won’t land until we complete the mission.”

Every slur, every accusation even though they hurt has also woken something up in us. It has galvanized us a fierce resolve to protect and defend our home. We do not need to be loved or pitied – but we do need to live.

We are the house that Zionism built. We are the bricks and mortar, the very foundation. There are times when the house comes under attack – but the foundations remain strong, rooted and defiant. We have been through a baptism of fire and are surviving the inferno. We bear the bruises – but also the triumphs. We are writing our own story, determining our own future, with resolute determination.

We are the house that Zionism built.



*Feature photo: Nation Roars. Statue of a roaring lion – “The Roar of the Lion”.





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).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 19 April 2026

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond.

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What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page and YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.

THE ISRAEL BRIEF –13-16 April 2026
(Click on the blue title)



Lay of the Land’s Photo Pick of the Week

‘SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL’

…or it should be but the international media avoids such coverage – IDF uncovers Hezbollah arsenal stashed inside southern Lebanon school.

As in Gaza which the international media resisted exposing, so to in Lebanon where the IDF last week uncovered a
massive stockpile of weapons hidden within a local school in Bint Jbeil. A search of the educational facility, revealed
Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, and various other tactical weapons. (Photo: IDF)




ARTICLES

Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.

(1)

WHY TUCKER CARLSON DENIES THE HOLOCAUST

If possible, Tucker would happily platform Hitler on his podcast.
By Jonathan Feldstein

Farcical Fare. “Mr. Hitler, many people despise your views but Americans want to know the truth about how you’re really
not antisemitic, because the Jews – whatever that means – that you allegedly killed were not really Jews.
Isn’t that right?” This is the kind of media fare to expect from Tucker Carlson!

WHY TUCKER CARLSON DENIES THE HOLOCAUST?
(Click on the blue title)



(2)

SEEKING SAFETY WHEN THE SIREN SOUNDS

Daily life in Israel when missiles are striking across Israel.
By Peter Bailey

Seeking Shelter. What is life like in Israel when the alert sounds warning of incoming missiles, followed by a siren and then
the mad dash to seek a ‘bomb shelter (as above). For the writer who delivers by truck food parcels to seniors in
their homes, he frequently finds himself in different bomb shelters. This is his story!

SEEKING SAFETY WHEN THE SIREN SOUNDS
(Click on the blue title)



(3)

STAYING ON THE ‘STRAIT’ AND NARROW

Best hotels along the Strait of Hormuz – In this part of the world, anonymity itself becomes a form of luxury.
By Motti Verses

STAYING ON THE ‘STRAIT’ AND NARROW
(Click on the blue title)



(4)

UCT’S GAZA FALLOUT: DONOR EXODUS, LEGAL FIRESTORM AND A COUNCIL UNDER SIEGE

UCT’s Gaza resolutions have sparked a court battle, donor exodus and fresh scrutiny of council governance, funding losses and reputational damage.
By Marika Sboros

It’s an ill Wind that Blows. The “South Easter”, that strong, dry wind that blows across Cape Town clearing air pollution is known as the “Cape Doctor”. Not so remedial the recent ‘winds of change’ that sweep today across UCT. It’s a ‘wind’ blowing away Jewish students and long-standing donors.  

UCT’S GAZA FALLOUT: DONOR EXODUS, LEGAL FIRESTORM AND A COUNCIL UNDER SIEGE
(Click on the blue title)




LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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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 ISRAEL BRIEF – 13-16 April 2026

13 April 2026 – Could Lebanon join the Abraham Accords? Is the ceasefire with Iran over? This and more on The Israel Brief.



14 April 2026 – Israel observes Yom Hashoa, who is taking the Spanish PM to the ICC and more on The Israel Brief.



15 April 2026 – Historic scenes from the negotiations with Lebanon and which country got the grand snub – this and more on The Israel Brief.



16 April 2026 – Hegseth warns the IRGC, your mensches and morons and more on The Israel Brief.



13 April 2026 – Rolene Marks discusses Lebanon and Iran on the Schilling Show.




14 April 2026 – Extra Rant ep 4 Yom Hashoa – a message to the world.





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).