Author: Matthew Taub
On November 28 and 29, an international organization sanctioned by the United States under counterterrorism authorities plans to hold a conference in Toronto commemorating the October 7 attacks against Israel.
Its organizers have praised those attacks, championed armed resistance and maintained leadership connections to an organization Canada has already designated as a terrorist entity.
The organization is Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement. Most Canadians have probably never heard of it. They should, because understanding who these people are, what they advocate and whom they associate with raises serious questions about why Canada is being chosen to host their international gathering.
Founded in 2021, Masar Badil presents itself as a revolutionary Palestinian movement seeking to mobilize supporters internationally.
Its political program promotes armed struggle and rejects Israel’s legitimacy. But its significance extends beyond inflammatory rhetoric. On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Masar Badil, identifying it as a front for the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and describing shared leadership, executive committees and fundraising mechanisms.
Why does that matter? Because Canada formally designated Samidoun as a terrorist entity in October 2024, citing its relationship with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization listed in Canada since 2003. American authorities describe Samidoun as a PFLP front and Masar Badil as a front for Samidoun.
Those are American determinations, not Canadian legal findings, but they demand independent Canadian scrutiny.
The organizational connections are not merely allegations from critics. Masar Badil’s own conference materials identify Samidoun as part of its movement. Its executive committee includes Khaled Barakat, whom American authorities identify as a PFLP leader. The U.S. Treasury also identifies Mohammed Khatib, Jaldia Abubakra, Zaid Abdulnasser and Rawa Alsagheer as figures within the overlapping leadership network.
These relationships raise an obvious concern: if Canada has already prohibited Samidoun as a terrorist entity, could the same network continue operating through another organizational name? That question deserves investigation before an international conference becomes an opportunity to expand its reach.
Then there is what Masar Badil openly advocates.
Its 2023 Ottawa Declaration champions revolutionary armed struggle, while its Toronto conference website describes October 7 as “one of the most courageous acts of resistance in our lifetimes.” October 7 was the day Hamas-led terrorists murdered civilians, abducted hostages and committed atrocities against Israelis.
The movement has also praised Houthi attacks against international shipping and attacks by Iraqi militias against American targets.
In September 2024, Masar Badil promoted an event featuring Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri. Hamas is a Canadian-listed terrorist organization. The Anti-Defamation League’s research further documents Masar Badil’s relationships and rhetoric.
Other democracies have already acted against individuals associated with this network.
Mohammed Khatib, Samidoun’s European coordinator and a Masar Badil executive committee member, was barred from the Netherlands in 2024. Belgian authorities revoked his refugee status in 2025, while Greek authorities reportedly detained him in 2026 on national-security grounds.
These actions, documented in our submissions, warrant verification against European government records and do not automatically determine his admissibility to Canada. They do, however, provide compelling reasons for Canadian authorities to investigate.
On October 20, Unapologetically Jewish submitted two comprehensive legal briefs to the federal government. Our immediate demands are clear: assess the foreign leadership for inadmissibility, refuse entry where Canadian law permits and take lawful steps to stop the Toronto conference before it takes place.
Terrorist listing under the Criminal Code is important, and we have requested that assessment. But listing can take time. The conference is weeks away, and Canada already possesses immigration powers that do not require Masar Badil to be listed first.
Under section 34 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, foreign nationals may be inadmissible for qualifying membership in organizations reasonably believed to engage in terrorism. Under section 22.1, the immigration minister may prohibit foreign nationals from becoming temporary residents for up to 36 months where public policy considerations justify it. IRCC’s published guidance identifies the promotion or glorification of terrorist violence among relevant considerations.
Our immigration submission identifies four foreign nationals for immediate assessment: Germany-based Zaid Abdulnasser, Brazil-based Rawa Alsagheer, Belgium-based Mohammed Khatib and Spain-based Jaldia Abubakra Aueda.
All four have been designated under American counterterrorism authorities. We have not established that any of them intend to travel to Canada, but their documented organizational roles warrant individualized security screening now, not after an attempted arrival.
If the evidence establishes Canadian grounds for exclusion, their entry should be refused. American sanctions alone do not establish inadmissibility, but they provide substantial information for Canadian authorities to examine.
We also want the conference stopped.
The RCMP, CSIS and Public Safety Canada should immediately investigate its organizers, financing and operational connections to Samidoun. Who controls the funds? Who receives them? Could the event’s resources or activities benefit an organization Canada has already listed as a terrorist entity?
Our submissions do not establish unlawful conference financing. That requires investigation. Nor can a political conference be prohibited simply because its organizers express abhorrent views or face foreign sanctions. But if evidence establishes terrorist financing, prohibited organizational activity or another lawful basis for intervention, authorities should act before November 28.
This is not an attack on Palestinian advocacy. Canadians have every right to criticize Israel, support Palestinian statehood and organize peaceful political events. But political expression does not provide immunity from counterterrorism laws, and foreign nationals do not possess an unconditional right to enter Canada.
The federal government may already be examining these matters. National-security investigations are not ordinarily public, and the absence of an announcement does not establish inaction. Nevertheless, Ottawa has advance notice, documented organizational connections and specific legal questions requiring urgent attention.
The order of operations matters: assess the foreign leadership now, investigate the conference immediately, intervene wherever Canadian law permits and pursue terrorist listing in parallel.
Canada has already banned Samidoun. The United States has sanctioned Masar Badil as its front. The organizations themselves acknowledge overlapping leadership. These facts do not eliminate due process, but they make preventive scrutiny essential.
We have identified the network, documented its connections and placed the evidence before the federal government. November 28 is approaching.
Canada has the information, the legal tools and the opportunity to act. The question is whether Ottawa has the will to use them before the doors open.
Matthew Taub is the founder and executive director of Unapologetically Jewish, a Canadian non-profit advocacy organization.
I have no problems with Palestinians,as such, but we only have to look to France and Europe and the problems there to say no to Masar Badil and their convention. Look also to the social disruptions Palestinians have caused here in Canada, their refusal to adhere to Canadian laws and society norms. They do not seek compromise, they seek total destruction of western nations. Ban them until they can be respectful of all, part a peaceful, prosperous, unified Canada!