Johannesburg, South Africa — The crowd erupted in thunderous applause as Dr Imtiaz Sooliman ascended the stage, dressed in his signature dark green T-shirt emblazoned with South Africa’s flag and the name of his organisation, Gift of the Givers.The humanitarian had been invited to Cape Town’s Sea Point promenade in October for a rally in support of Palestine, to give protesters enraged about Israel’s genocide in Gaza an update on his aid agency’s work in the war-torn enclave.
He quickly got fired up, sharing how his team in Gaza had lost family members during the Israeli assault and how the fight for justice for Palestinians has been a 75-year struggle.
“Every time we protested, the Zionists were too clever; they were arrogant, acted with impunity. They put fear in corporations, in universities … in government,” he said, adding that they lobbed accusations of anti-Semitism in response to any criticism of Israel. “Well, I’ve got a new message for them: find a new narrative. That is dull, boring and stupid,” he added. Advertisement
The large crowd erupted into more cheers and applause.
Sooliman, a trained medical doctor who has opted not to practise any more, is a natur …
