(National Post) He’s a high-ranking member of a Palestinian terrorist organization best known for dramatic airplane hijackings, suicide bombings and a 2014 massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue that left several worshippers severely injured and five dead, including Toronto-born rabbi Howie Rothman. That’s how Israeli intelligence agencies describe 51-year-old Khaled Barakat, who has lived in Canada off and on for nearly 20 years and currently resides in Vancouver.
It’s not how Barakat’s supporters describe the man. Barakat’s associates say he is a Palestinian rights activist and a freelance writer who is being victimized by an Israeli campaign to intimidate human-rights organizations. I’ve made several attempts to speak with Barakat over the past two weeks. On Monday, an intermediary finally informed me that Barakat wanted me to know that “he is unavailable for discussions” with me.
