On April 14, 2018, the Palestine House held its annual commemoration of the “Land Day” (symbolizes the Palestinian unwavering commitment to defend the land and to “liberate” Palestine), at Capitol Banquette Hall in Mississauga, ON.
The keynote speaker at the event was Palestinian Archbishop Atallah Hanna who is known of his support of Syria’s Assad regime and the Palestinian intifada against Israel. “We emphasize our solidarity with Syria, its President, government, people and army,” Hanna posted on his Facebook page.
Hanna added: “President Assad is a distinct Arab national person and history will record the name of this great leader who worked to foil the conspiracy against the State of Syria with the Arab Syrian Army and all the sons of the Syrian people… President Assad is not a murderer or a butcher as some say and circulate, but he is a distinct Arab national leader.” See also “Atallah Hanna arrived in Toronto to attend Palestine House’s Land Day event” (click HERE)
At the event, a Liberal Member of Canada’s Parliament, Iqra Khalid, gave Amin El-Maoued, the Head of Public Relations of the Palestine House, an award of honor. The following is MP’s Iqra Khalid short speech at the event:
Amin El-Maoued. Come on, a round of applause for Amin. I met brother Amin about three years ago now and he has been a rock and a strong ally for myself, for the Palestinian Canadian community within Mississauga – Erin Mills and today on behalf of myself and the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau I want to recognize the great work that brother Amin has done for us and for Mississauga – Erin Mills. Thank you.
Thanking MP Khalid, Amin El-maoued said the following:
Deeply humbled and honoured to be received this reward from my dear MP [Member of Parliament] friend Iqra Khalid. I’m grateful and thankful for her support and we will work together for the next federal election in 2019. Iqra Khalid is an amazing MP. She is always work[ing] with the communities and she always bring all the communities together under one roof. That roof is Canada.
On April 15, 2018 Amin El-maoued the following statement:
The Palestinian house in Canada set up a big party attended by invitees on the anniversary of the day of the earth in the presence of the guest of honor, Archbishop Atta Allah Hanna, Archbishop of. of the Orthodox Greeks in Jerusalem, and a large number of Palestinian and Arab On diplomatic missions in Canada.
The Bishop stressed that Jerusalem is the capital of spiritual and National Palestine and is the incubator of the most important Islamic and Christian Holy sites and that the relationship between Islamic and Christian coexistence in Jerusalem is not only a relationship of coexistence, but one of the one people who The Bishop was honoured by the Palestinian house.
The Venezuelan Ambassador made a statement commending the historic relations between the Venezuelan and Palestinian peoples and supporting the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital
The Vice-President of the Canadian Parliament, Ms. Read Khaled, said that she was pleased with her presence and participation by the Palestinian community this evening and conveyed the greetings of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and karim Micah, President of the Palestinian house, and Mr. Secretary of the In the Palestinian house.
Several technical paragraphs and heritage national songs were presented on the Palestinian dabka site, where the public interacted with the public and around in rings workshops and shared by the deputy read khaled.
The Master of the concert was the media professor Mohamed Harun and accompanied by the special young man gaby shehada and miss featured iris the date.
Also last year (April 15, 2017), MP Khalid attended the Land Day event organized by the Palestine House. Fadlu Michael, the chairperson of the Palestine House awarded MP Khalid a “thanks and appreciation” plaque.
On January 18, 2016, MP Khalid met with senior members of the Canadian Palestinian community and board members of the Palestine House including its then deputy chairperson Dr. Nazih Khatatba who serves also as the editor of Meshwar newspaper.
The Palestine House was de-funded in 2012 by the federal government for what then Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney referred to as a “pattern of support for extremism.”
Minister Kenney’s spokesperson told The News via e-mail (February 2012) that “Palestine House has in the last few years aligned itself with terrorist causes, including celebrating the release of terrorists and honouring the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), one of the groups that formed the Palestine Liberation Organization and in the 1960s and ’70s, was responsible for numerous armed attacks and aircraft hijackings.”
In response Palestine House spokesperson Samir Jabbour said then that “Palestine House categorically denounces all forms of terrorism or extremism” and its “positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are in line with universal values of human rights… [and] “are very close to the positions of the government as stated on its website.”
On May 15, 2017 the Palestine House held in Mississauga its annual event commemorating Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe. The Palestinians see the establishment of the State of Israel as their historic disaster. The theme of the event was a rally in support of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jail. Most of these Palestinian “prisoners” are members of terrorist groups (Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, Qaeda among others) who were convicted of serious terror-related charged, including killing Israeli civilians (dispatching suicide bombers, shooting and stabbing attack etc.). “Freedom to our brave political prisoners”, read the main banner of the event the featured Palestinian arch-terrorists including:
- Abdullah al-Barghouthi – A Former commander of Hamas’ armed/ terrorist wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in the West Bank. He was also one of the organization’s chief bomb makers (“engineer”). Barghouthi was convicted of involvement in terror attacks including the suicide attacks in Café Moment and Sbarro in Jerusalem, the Sheffield Club in Rishon Lezion, and the bus 4 line in Tel Aviv. In total, Barghouti was found responsible for the murder of 66 Israelis and the injury of around 500. In 2004 he was sentenced to 67 life sentences.
- Marwan al-Barghouti – According to the court at his trial, Barghouti operated under the direct command of Yasser Arafat and was beyond any doubt directly responsible for murderous activity. He was convicted of terror attacks that were performed following his direct orders, in which 5 people were murdered. In addition, the court said that Barghouti was morally responsible for many other terror attacks in which many more Israelis were murdered. Documents captured by the IDF in “Operation Defensive Shield” (April 2002) shed light on Barghouti’s involvement in commanding the terror efforts under Arafat. In those documents, Barghouti asks Arafat to authorize payments to several lists of Fatah terrorists, while he himself was approached by local commanders who asked him to authorize payments to terrorists from their units.
- Ahmad Sa’adat – The Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist group in Canada. Sa’adat was convicted of the assassination of the Israeli Tourism Minister, Rehavam Ze’evi and other terrorist attacks carried put by PFLP. He was sentenced to 30 years in jail.
- Jamal Abu Al-Hija – Former commander of Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas military/ terrorist wing) in the area of Jenin. He was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in two suicide bombing attacks in the Israeli cities of Hadrera and Netanya.
- Fuad Shoubaki – Amid (Brig. Gen.) Fuad Hindi Hijazi Shoubaki (“Abu Hazm”) was the head of the accounting administration of the General Security Service and confidant of Yassir Arafat, the former Chairman of Palestinian Authority (PA). In his official capacity, Al-Shobaki stood behind the Karine-A deal with Iran and was involved in a large-scale acquisition of arms from various sources in the Palestinian Authority administered territories and abroad. Those arms were delivered to the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses and to Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist squads. They were subsequently used for perpetrating terrorist attacks against Israel. Shoubaki was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
- Nael al-Barghouti – Barghouti was convicted of killing an Israel officer in 1978 and sentenced to life in jail. He was release in a swap deal with Hamas in 2011 and later was re-arrested after he violated the the conditions of his release.
- Thaer Hamad – Hamad was convicted of killing 7 soldiers, 3 civilians and injuring others in shooting attack in March 2002.
- Karim Yunes – Yunes was convicted of killing an Israeli soldier in 1981.
In January 2017, the Palestine House held a event with the attendance of Toronto Imam Ahmed Shehab commemorating Archbishop Hilarion Capucci who was sentenced on December 9, 1974 to 12 years in prison. Capucci, who as the head of the Greek Catholic Church in Jerusalem was arrested in 1974 after using his Mercedes sedan to smuggle arms to Palestinian terrorists. The Israeli security forces found in his vehicle four Kalashnikov rifles, two pistols, 220 pounds of dynamite and several detonators. The New York Times reported that investigators said the archbishop had been involved in a plan to fire three Katyusha rockets toward Jerusalem during a May 1974 visit by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger.
On December 10, 2016 the Palestine House held an event commemorating Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro who Castro was heavily criticized by governments and human rights organizations for depriving Cubans of their basic rights and involvement in political executions.
On Saturday, February 20, 2016, during a demonstration in downtown Toronto, several dozens of anti-Israel activists, including senior board members of Palestine House and their children held a rally during which they held pictures of Palestinian “martyrs” who they claimed were “executed” by Israel. Most of the so-called “martyrs” were, in fact, terrorists, including Hamas and Fatah operatives, who were killed while trying to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis or during violent clashes with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
On January 19, 2016 the Palestine House celebrated the 14th birthday of the Palestinian child terrorist Ahmed Manasrah and called for his immediate release from the Israeli jail.
Armed with kitchen knives, Ahmaed Manasrah, then 13 years old, went on October 12, 2015 with his cousin Hassan Manasra, 15, to Jerusalem’s Pisgat Zeev neighbourhood to attack Jews. The two Palestinian teenagers stabbed two Israelis, a 13-year-old, who was critically injured; and a 25-year-old, who was moderately injured. Hassan Manasra was shot dead by security forces after charging at police with a knife and Ahmaed Manasrah, was hit by a car, recovered after being treated in an Israeli hospital and later was convicted of two charges of attempted murder and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The event in honour of Manasrah was held at the Palestine House offices in Mississauga with the attendance of Chairman of the Palestine House, Fadlo Michael, the Vice Chair, Nazih Khataba, other board members, parents and children.
A birthday cake was baked in honour of Ahmad Manasrah and decorated with the following message written on it: “Happy Birthday. Freedom. Ahmad Manasrah, 13 years old boy, shot and caged by Israel.”
The event featured children holding colourful balloons and posters that read in Arabic: “Palestine House Canada [flags of Palestine and Canada], Free Ahmad Manasrah, Solidarity campaign with the child prisoner.”
A little girl greeted Manasrah on his birthday by reading the following message in French and English:
Hi everyone, I’m Maryam Muhanad. We are Canadians Palestinians children came today to celebrate the 14th birth of Palestinian prisoner hero Ahamd Manasrah. We ask all the nations in the world for freedom to Ahmad Manasrah. Free, Free Ahmad Manasrah. Free, Free Ahmad Manasrah.
On October 14, 2015 the Palestine house posted on its official Facebook an invitation to its planned rally. The English version read the following:
In solidarity and support of the Struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation and aggression.
The Arabic version of the invitation used the term intifada:
Protest rally in solidarity and support of Palestine Intifada (انتفاضة). In cooperation with solidarity movements with Palestine in the area of Toronto, the Palestine House invites you to to participate in the solidarity rally with al-Quds and Palestine Intifada (انتفاضة). It will take place on Friday October 16 at 6pm in front of the Israeli Consulate in Toronto.
The Palestinian al-Quds Intifada, also dubbed the Knife Intifada, is supported and directed by the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah (the Palestinian Authority-PLO-Fatah) and Gaza (Hamas).
Nazih Khatatba, a board member of the Palestine House at least until December 2016, openly sympathized with the Palestinian “struggle” which includes activities and operations that are deemed by Israel, US, Canada and the West as acts of terrorism.
In an editorial titled “al-Quds Operation and the Quiet Intifada” published on November 28, 2014, Khatatba portrayed the massacre of 4 rabbis in a Jerusalem synagogue by Palestinian terrorists who hacked their victims to death with meat cleavers as a “courageous and qualitative” operation. One of the victims was Howie Rothman, an Israeli Canadian, was died of his wounds a year after he was struck in his head and neck with a cleaver.
On the same day the Jerusalem massacre occurred, Khatatba slammed the Palestinian President for issuing an official announcement condemning (however faintly) the attack.
A few days prior to the Jerusalem massacre, Khatatba justified the ‘run-over’ and stabbing attacks against Israeli Jews and overtly supported launching a Palestinian armed Intifada (war) against Israel.
In a editorial (Meshwar, Issue 106, June 13, 2014, P. 5), Khatatba called the Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israeli jail “freedom prisoners” and “freedom fighters”, even though many of them were convicted (and confessed) of terror-related crimes, including murder of civilians.
For one of his editorials (Meshwar, Issue 103, May 2, 2014, p. 5), Khatatba chose the following heading: “Al-Aqsa [Mosque] and [the City of] al-Quds [Jerusalem] are in need for mujahideen [jihad fighters], not tourists.”
Khatatba also praised the Lebanese terrorist Samir Quntar who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last December for his “bold offensive operation”. What Khatatba called a “bold offensive operation” was a a terrorist attack in 1979 during which Quntar murdered an Israeli civilian and crushed the skull of his 4 year-old daughter with the butt of his rifle.
In 2014, The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) submitted to Peel Region Police several complaints of possible hate crimes allegedly committed by Meshwar newspaper. The complaints documented cases of alleged anti Israeli/ Jewish rhetoric including sympathizing with a terrorist attack, posting an article questioning the veracity of the Holocaust and a cartoon that depicted the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drinking the blood of Palestinian children. No charges have been laid against the newspaper.