By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of The Gift of the Givers Foundation has dismissed the allegations that his humanitarian organisation is financing terrorism.
This comes after Lawrence Nowosenetz, former chairperson of the Jewish Board of Deputies said, the Gift of the Givers may be directly or indirectly financially supporting Hamas.
Hamas is a Palestinian armed group and political movement in the Gaza Strip. On 7 October 2023 it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel.
The US, UK, Israel and many other nations have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Nowosenetz objected the Helen Suzman Foundation invitation for Sooliman to deliver the Helen Suzman memorial lecture in two weeks.
Nowosenetz, who now lives in Tel Aviv in a letter published in The Times of Israel said Suzman was a strong supporter of Israel and claimed that inviting Sooliman contradicted the liberal values of the former Progressive Federal Party MP.
“Not too long ago I might have joined’ you in celebrating this decision and event, believing him to be a majestic humanitarian of global proportions.
However, unpalatable information has increasingly come to my attention which I am duty bound to raise with you, which puts a very different light on the persona of Sooliman who we all think we know,” Nowosenetz claimed.
Nowosenetz claimed that Gift of the Givers was the second NPO founded by Sooliman, the first being the South African branch of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Al Aqsa Foundation, established in 1991 which was ”committed to “the destruction of Israel”.
He stated that while Sooliman had distanced himself from Al Aqsa Foundation, he continued to make donations to them and to the Union of Good, which was blacklisted by the US Treasury in 2008.
“This means Gift of the Givers may be directly or indirectly financing Hamas,” he wrote.
Sooliman said, Gift of the Givers could account for every cent it has received and donated.
“I have only one request to those making the allegations, please produce irrefutable proof of our terrorist activity.
“Take it to the SAPS, SIU, Hawks, NPA, State Security, Dirco, Reserve Bank, Standard Bank (which are our bankers), Standard Chartered in USA through which we do our foreign currency transactions), banks in Israel through which we fund projects in Palestine.
“Let us be charged, then announce it to the local and international media and expose us,” Sooliman said.
Sooliman added that he has never hidden his support for the Palestinians.
“Gift of the Givers fully supports, endorses and acknowledges South Africa’s additional submission at the International Court of Justice on Monday, 28th October against Israel.
“We call on South Africans to support humanity, justice and truth, to present yourselves at the Cape High Court on Monday, 28th October, between 8am and 9am to show your support and solidarity and acknowledgement, not that truth needs any support. Truth is self propagating. The divine injunction is very clear. Truth has arrived and falsehood perished, “Sooliman said.
South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) tribunal based in The Hague in late 2023, accusing Israel, which has bombed Gaza since last October, of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Several countries, including, Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia, have all joined the case which began public hearings in January.
In May, the ICJ ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It was the third time the 15-judge panel issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in the blockaded enclave, where the casualty count has crossed 42,800.