Canada-Based Former Senior PFLP Official Khaled Barakat On Hizbullah TV: American And Canadian Protesters Support Armed Resistance, Elimination Of Israel; BDS Serves The Armed Resistance, But Cannot Substitute It

Former senior official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and activist Khaled Barakat, who is based in Canada, said in a March 30, 2024 interview with Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that today's generation of Americans and Canadians broadly – and courageously – support armed resistance and the elimination of "the Zionist entity." He said that the chants of "from the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" during the protests proves this. Barakat explained that this is because the history curricula in high schools and universities teach about colonialism, racism, and slavery. He said that the movements boycotting Israel "serve" the armed resistance, but they cannot replace it. Barakat recounted that during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, a group of Canadian-Arab supporters of Hizbullah met with Canada's foreign minister and told him: "We are all with Hassan Nasrallah. Even the cup of coffee that you are drinking was paid for by him."

Khaled Barakat: "The vast majority among the new generation [in the U.S. and Canada] support armed resistance as well as the removal of the Zionist entity from occupied Palestine in its entirety.

"This is why we see that the main slogan of all these movements, demonstrations, and activities is 'Palestine will be free from the River to the Sea' – Palestine will be liberated from the River to the Sea.

"This generation courageously gives voice to this position because it has more access to information and facts, as a result of the new technology and the social media platforms, but also due to a very important development at the universities and high schools – the introduction of colonialism, racism, and slavery studies into history curricula."

Interviewer: "As you have said, what characterizes the BDS movement in Canada, is their support of armed resistance. This is something that is very important and should be pointed out."

Barakat: "Right. Boycotting [Israel] cannot substitute armed resistance. The boycott serves the armed resistance. This is well known and beyond dispute."

Interviewer: "To what extent do the Canadian authorities allow you to act freely now?"

Barakat: "It is not that they allow us. We have wrested out this right. The way nations get their rights is by wresting them out. No capitalist government or regime – especially in a country like Canada hat committed mass slaughter against millions of the native inhabitants of this land – would just give us our rights just like that. Today, we are stating our position very clearly.

[...]

"We are saying loud and clear that we support the armed resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. We will stand by every Arab region that is fighting with weapons, and will provide popular and political support, as well as support in the media. If I have a bit more time..."

Interviewer: "Go ahead."

Barakat: "For example, at the time of the July 2006 aggression against Lebanon, the Canadian Foreign Minister came to meet us, and we told him... Everybody at that meeting – Iraqis, Syrians, Palestinians, Algerians... We said to him: 'We support Hizbullah. What are you going to do – put us in prison? We all support Nassan Nasrallah. Even the cup of coffee that you are drinking was paid for by Nasrallah.'"