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A U.S.-sanctioned organization identified by the Treasury Department as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) is organizing a November 28–29 conference in Toronto featuring sanctioned PFLP-linked leaders, activists who have celebrated the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, and an Iranian political organizer associated with a student movement that offered an assassination bounty.
The conference, titled “3 Years of Al-Aqsa Flood: Resistance & Return From the Belly of the Beast,” is organized by the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, also known as Masar Badil. Advertised speakers include Khaled Barakat, Mohammed Khatib, Charlotte Kates, Calla Walsh, Mohammad Sadegh Shahbazi, and Helyeh Doutaghi, alongside representatives of Palestine Action Canada and Al-Ahrar Toronto.
The conference website celebrates Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel, as a “glorious feat.” It calls for cooperation with what organizers describe as “the resistance forces of West Asia,” declaring that “armed resistance is the means by which this threat shall be neutralized,” referring to Israel. The website also praises the Iran-aligned network it calls the “Axis of Resistance,” including Yemen’s Houthis and terror groups in Iraq and Lebanon.
The program includes panels titled “The Red-Green Alliance,” “Building a Global Camp of Resistance,” and “One Day You Too Will Be a ‘T-rrorist.’” Organizers are also advertising appearances by unidentified released Palestinian prisoners and participants in the pro-Palestinian student protest movement. A comment under a conference Instagram announcement describes the gathering as an in-person event.
Sanctioned PFLP Leader Among Featured Speakers
Khaled Barakat, advertised for the November 28 panel “The Red-Green Alliance,” is a member of the PFLP’s overseas leadership, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. On October 15, 2024, Treasury sanctioned Barakat for acting on behalf of the designated terrorist organization, identifying his fundraising and recruitment activities as supporting PFLP terrorist operations against Israel.
Treasury also identified Barakat as a central figure behind Samidoun, describing it as a front established by the PFLP to raise funds internationally. According to the department, Barakat publicly acknowledged Samidoun’s PFLP affiliation despite instructions from the terrorist organization’s leadership to keep that relationship confidential.
Barakat has also publicly defended attacks against Israelis and expressed support for other designated terrorist organizations. During a March 2024 webinar involving Columbia University activists, he referred to his “friends in Islamic Jihad” and invoked the Iranian regime’s “strategic vision” while encouraging students to support Palestinian armed factions.
On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Masar Badil itself, identifying it as a front for Samidoun, which the United States and Canada designated in October 2024. Treasury said the organizations share fundraising mechanisms, senior leadership, and executive committee members, including Barakat, Mohammed Khatib, and Jaldia Abubakra, all of whom have been personally sanctioned.
Mohammed Khatib Sanctioned Over Samidoun Leadership
Mohammed Khatib, Samidoun’s European coordinator and a member of Masar Badil’s executive committee, is separately advertised as a speaker for Sunday, November 29, on a panel titled “Building a Global Camp of Resistance.” On May 19, 2026, Treasury sanctioned Khatib for serving as a leader or official of Samidoun.
Khatib has repeatedly appeared alongside senior Hamas officials in Masar Badil-hosted online events. During a February 2024 webinar featuring Hamas official Bassem Naim, Khatib praised October 7 as a “holy day for us today.” In September 2024, he appeared alongside Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, whom he called a “brother and leader,” describing his own role as being “part of the Palestinian resistance and not supporters of the resistance.”
Khatib has also faced government restrictions in Europe. The Netherlands barred him from entering the country in October 2024, later stating that he openly legitimized and glorified violence by organizations on the European Union’s terrorist sanctions list. Belgian authorities subsequently revoked his refugee status in August 2025 over his activities with Samidoun, a decision he announced plans to appeal.
Charlotte Kates Praised Hamas and Received Iranian Regime Award
Charlotte Kates, Samidoun’s international coordinator and Barakat’s wife, was arrested in Vancouver in 2024 following a demonstration where she celebrated Hamas’s October 7 massacre as “heroic and brave.” She declared that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the PFLP should not be considered terrorist organizations, describing their members as heroes.
During a March 2024 Columbia University-linked webinar, Kates explicitly defended Hamas membership, declaring, “There is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader of Hamas, being a fighter in Hamas.” She characterized October 7 as an “earth-shattering undertaking,” while specifying that she was advocating political and moral support rather than financial assistance.
In August 2024, Kates traveled to Tehran to receive an Islamic Human Rights and Human Dignity Award from the Iranian government. According to Samidoun’s own announcement, fellow recipients included Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah and Asadollah Asadi, a former Iranian diplomat convicted in Belgium over a foiled bombing plot targeting an Iranian opposition gathering in France.
Kates subsequently appeared at a November 2025 Samidoun-organized event in Beirut alongside Barakat, Calla Walsh, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad media official Saif al-Din Maw’ed.
Calla Walsh Called for More Attacks on Israeli Diplomats
Calla Walsh, another advertised speaker, co-founded Palestine Action US, later renamed Unity of Fields. In November 2024, Walsh and three associates pleaded guilty to offenses stemming from an attack on an Elbit Systems facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire, that caused nearly $100,000 in damage.
In an October 2025 interview with Beirut-based commentator Laith Marouf, Walsh discussed the murders of Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum. The victims were shot by Elias Rodriguez, who was subsequently charged with federal murder, hate-crime, and terrorism-related offenses.
During the interview, Walsh questioned why there had not been “100 more Elias Rodriguezes” and why others had not helped the suspected murderer escape and attack additional Israeli diplomats. She also cited an article by Barakat defending Rodriguez’s actions and argued that what she called “resistance” anywhere in the world was “justified and necessary.”
Walsh has also publicly expressed support for Hamas, Hezbollah, the PFLP, and the Iranian government. At a July 20, 2025, visit to Tehran, she attended a state-sponsored media event organized by Iran’s state broadcaster, where she praised Iran’s regional alliance of armed organizations before concluding with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” in Persian.
Walsh returned to Iran in February 2026, where she visited a military aerospace exhibition and praised Iranian missiles and drones.
Iranian Speaker Linked to Assassination-Bounty Campaign
Another participant, Mohammad Sadegh Shahbazi, is an Iranian political organizer advertised alongside Barakat on the November 28 panel. Shahbazi served as secretary of Iran’s Student Justice-Seeking Movement during the 2008–2009 academic year. In January 2009, the movement attracted international attention for offering a financial reward for the assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The Iranian opposition organization National Council of Resistance of Iran identified Shahbazi as the official who announced the initial $1 million reward.
Iranian reporting also documented Shahbazi’s participation in political mobilization supporting armed confrontation with Israel. During a January 2009 student demonstration at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, Shahbazi described Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s message concerning Gaza as comparable to a decree of jihad, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency.
Shahbazi also appeared at a November 2023 Tehran event organized by Iran’s Student Basij, an organization associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The event featured Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of Britain’s Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC). IHRC subsequently disputed a newspaper’s characterization of Shahbazi as a Basij member.
Another advertised speaker, Helyeh Doutaghi, was the subject of a March 2025 Jewish Onliner investigation that uncovered her membership in Samidoun, which identified her as a member of its international network in 2022. Yale Law School subsequently suspended Doutaghi and terminated her employment on March 28, 2025, during an investigation into her ties to the U.S.-designated organization. On October 7, 2026, she published an interview with Shahbazi and Iranian organizer Alireza Mirghaffari discussing revolutionary politics and organizing within Iran.
Al-Ahrar Toronto Praises Hamas, Hezbollah and IRGC
The conference also features Al-Ahrar Toronto, a Palestinian prisoner-solidarity organization whose own publications openly praise multiple designated terrorist organizations and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
In an April 20, 2026 article, Al-Ahrar celebrated a volleyball tournament reportedly organized by Samidoun in Gaza. The organization explicitly declared that “we champion Hamas, the PFLP, PIJ, Hezbollah, the IRGC,” comparing its support for those organizations with its support for Samidoun.
Al-Ahrar’s connection to Masar Badil extends beyond participation in the Toronto conference. Masar Badil’s April 2026 São Paulo Declaration identified the Al-Ahrar Network among its affiliated organizational frameworks, alongside Samidoun and other activist organizations. Al-Ahrar Toronto describes itself as part of the developing international network.
In a separate December 2025 statement, Al-Ahrar defended Italy-based activist Mohammad Hannoun following his arrest in an Italian counterterrorism investigation. Hannoun had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for his alleged role in financing Hamas.
Palestine Action Canada Claimed Attack on Israeli-Owned Defense Facility
Palestine Action Canada, another advertised participant, has publicly claimed responsibility for several property-damage operations targeting Canadian businesses associated with Israel’s defense industry.
In October 2026, the group claimed responsibility for vandalism targeting GeoSpectrum Technologies in Peterborough, Ontario, a subsidiary of Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems. According to local reporting, Peterborough Police confirmed damage to the building and an outdoor communications box, believed to have occurred overnight between October 11 and 12. Investigators classified the incident as a hate- or bias-motivated crime.
The organization also claimed responsibility for a July 2026 operation targeting a DSV logistics facility in Quebec, describing it as part of an internationally coordinated campaign. A December 2025 intelligence report by Recorded Future identified Palestine Action Canada among international groups adopting tactics associated with Britain’s Palestine Action network. The British organization was subsequently sanctioned by the United States in August 2026.
Additional Conference Participants and Endorsers
The November 29 program also advertises the Political Defence Committee, a Canadian activist coalition supporting Ahmad Hassan Hajahmad, also known as Ahmad Jarrar. Hajahmad was charged in July 2026 with participating in or contributing to the activities of a terrorist group following a joint Toronto Police and RCMP investigation. Police alleged that he acted for the benefit of, and in association with, Hamas.
Another conference endorser, the Anti-Imperialist Iran Coalition, organized an August 2026 Toronto presentation examining the Islamic Republic’s role in what it described as “anti-imperialist movements” in Lebanon and Palestine. The coalition also participated in a September Toronto activist fair alongside Al-Ahrar and other organizations.
Other advertised speakers include podcast host Sina Rahmani, York University professor Justin Podur, and activists Kofa Sisérou and Alex Reid. Additional organizations listed on the conference’s Endorsers page include the Canada Palestine Association, Basil Al-Araj Prisoner Committee, Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, and Eglinton-Lawrence & Don Valley for Palestine.
Despite the August 2026 U.S. sanctions against its organizer, the conference remains scheduled for November 28–29. In a statement rejecting the designation, Masar Badil called for developing the next phase of its political activities, while its conference website explicitly invites organizations to participate in expanding the movement across North America.