liberate

"He sees himself as the guy destined to liberate Palestine - he's not about improving the economic situation, social services for Gaza," says Yaari.

A partnership between a Shia country and a Sunni Arab organisation is not an obvious one, but both share a goal to end the state of Israel and "liberate" Jerusalem from Israeli occupation.

On 15 August, for example, he was at Boulouris, on the Côte d’Azur in France, where he gave a detailed 12-minute address at the commemoration of the 1944 Allied landings to liberate southern France from the Nazis - an operation in which many troops from the French African territories took part.

But rather than be Robeson, Tines explained, his need has been to liberate himself from the great singer.

“The Maoists freed us - it’s their job to liberate,” he said.