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Canada Must Deport Senior PFLP Operative

Khaled Barakat (centre-right) speaks at a PFLP event beneath a PFLP flag , Jewish Press

April 29, 2022

Canada’s dirty secret is finally out. For more than two years, the Government of Canada has allowed a senior member of an antisemitic terror group to roam freely, contrary to Canadian law.

Yesterday, acclaimed journalist Terry Glavin exposed the Khaled Barakat scandal in the National Post. B’nai Brith encourages every Canadian to click here and share this article with friends and family.

Khaled Barakat is believed to have become a Canadian resident in the early 2000s, after being deported from the United States. He then resided in Europe for a number of years, directing the affairs of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist entity, from Berlin. By late 2019, the German Government had enough and expelled him as well, following which he returned to Canada. He has since split his time between Vancouver and Montreal.

For two years, B’nai Brith Canada has been gathering intelligence, and urging the Government and all relevant law enforcement agencies to act against Barakat.

There can be no doubt about Barakat’s senior role in the PFLP terror group. Arabic-language media have repeatedly described him as a member of its Central Committee, which runs the organization while its Secretary-General, Ahmad Sa’adat, serves a 30-year sentence for ordering terrorist attacks. While in Canada, Barakat has published articles in which he calls for acts of international terrorism by the PFLP, targeting Israeli and “Zionist” targets beyond the Middle East.

It is strictly forbidden for members of terrorist groups to enter Canada or obtain Canadian citizenship. Despite repeated requests, Ottawa has not provided B’nai Brith with any explanation for its failure to act against Barakat.

“We have given the Government every chance to do the right thing, but we can no longer stay silent,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “The Government’s reckless disregard of this matter severely undermines its claim to be committed to the fight against antisemitism.”

In recent years, the PFLP has massacred six people – including a Canadian – at a Jerusalem synagogue, fired rockets at Israeli civilians from the Gaza Strip, and murdered a young woman with an improvised explosive device.

In the coming days and weeks, B’nai Brith will continue to expose Canada’s abysmal record of welcoming PFLP-linked figures and organizations into the country. We will not allow Ottawa to ignore its own laws and endanger our community.