Live Normally, Mr. Anteer, But Not in Canada

"I told them Fatah is not terrorist group. It is a group that works with Canada, it is a group that works with the Stephen Harper; the United Nations works with Fatah. I don't have any history like that [as a security risk]."
"Arafat came to Palestine and signed for peace with Israel. I was a volunteer with Arafat. I was a young guy. He talked about stopping the problems in Palestine; war wasn't good. Just talking to him about the problems; I talked to him like that."
"I was at House Arafat as a volunteer, many people were. People came from the university, from the schools to stay there. The military [Israel Defense Forces] thought people in the house were terrorists, maybe. I told them, 'Never I have problems, why you put me in here in jail'?"
"They say, because you're with House Arafat you stay in jail'."
"After that, I'm thinking I come to Canada because I have family there."
Akram Muslih Anteer, 30

Atta Oweisat/AFP/Getty Images   Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat inspects his private apartments inside his battered Ramallah headquarters after an Israeli army raid in June 2004

 

Mr. Anteer came to Canada in 2013, claiming refugee status. He came, he said, to join his mother and two sisters living in Mississauga, Ontario. He no longer is in Canada, escorted out of the country on charges of being a member of Fatah, deemed a terrorist group, irrespective of the fact that Fatah rules the West Bank through the Palestinian Authority, with Fatah member, Mahmoud Abbas as President of the PA, a colleague of its former head of the PLO, Yasser Arafat, a co-founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization of which Fatah is a part.

The Immigration and Refugee Board made a decision to remove this man, a ruling upheld by the Federal Court of Canada. Complicated somewhat by the fact that Canada donates financial support to the administration of the West Bank. The country's foreign affairs ministry affirmed Canada's support of the PA: "Canada continues to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas" with "a commitment of $300-million over five years towards improving Palestinian security, governance and prosperity." The PA, a Fatah-led kleptocracy, is doubtless grateful.

 Coincidentally and polarizingly diplomatically, the IRB stated quite unequivocally that Mr. Anteer is inadmissible to Canada as a result of "reasonable grounds to believe" that Fatah is "a terrorist organization." Mr. Anteer had lived in Sweden before travelling to Canada, and he was ordered deported back to Sweden in June. After which order, he appealed by bringing his case before the Federal Court of Canada where Justice Cecily Strickland rejected his appeal.

In his interview with Canada Border Services Agency, Mr. Anteer discussed his involvement in Fatah, stating he had joined as a youth post-Oslo Accords in 1993. His refugee status was denied and he was ordered detained. The CBSA reported that his role with Fatah was to identify and intercept opponents of Fatah as he worked alongside high ranking Fatah officials. According to Mr. Anteer's own account, he reported directly to Ata Abu Rumeila, head of the Jenin area Fatah.

Files   Akram Anteer

 

Enforcement officials noted that Rumeila was the reputed head of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Jenin, a designated terrorist organization on Canada's list. Evidence gained by the IRB was that Fatah was in full support of al-Aqsa in its commission of terrorism against Israel. "I never have any work from him [Rumeila], I never have any job with him I don't even like him. I don't have any contact", objected Mr. Anteer.

But, you are known by the company you keep, even this fine young man. "I haven't any trouble with the government, I just want to live normally, nothing more", said Mr. Anteer, echoing what all war criminals such as post-World War II Nazis who entered Canada under false pretenses claimed, as after the atrocities they were involved with became history, they became model citizens in open-hearted and accepting Canada.

As for the Fatah charter, is it rather interesting and certainly revelatory:

CHAPTER ONE

Principles... Goals.... Methods

The Movement's Essential Principles

Article (1) Palestine is part of the Arab World, and the Palestinian people are part of the Arab Nation, and their struggle is part of its struggle.
Article (2) The Palestinian people have an independent identity. They are the sole authority that decides their own destiny, and they have complete sovereignty on all their lands.
Article (3) The Palestinian Revolution plays a leading role in liberating Palestine.
Article (4) The Palestinian struggle is part and parcel of the world-wide struggle against Zionism, colonialism and international imperialism.
Article (5) Liberating Palestine is a national obligation which necessities the materialistic and human support of the Arab Nation.
Article (6) UN projects, accords and reso, or those of any individual cowhich undermine the Palestinian people's right in their homeland are illegal and rejected.
Article (7) The Zionist Movement is racial, colonial and aggressive in ideology, goals, organisation and method.
Article (8) The Israeli existence in Palestine is a Zionist invasion with a colonial expansive base, and it is a natural ally to colonialism and international imperialism.
Article (9) Liberating Palestine and protecting its holy places is an Arab, religious and human obligation.
Article (10) Palestinian National Liberation Movement, "FATEH", is an independent national revolutionary movement representing the revolutionary vanguard of the Palestinian people.
Article (11) The crowds which participate in the revolution and liberation are the proprietors of the Palestinian land.

Goals

Article (12) Complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence.
Article (13) Establishing an independent democratic state with complete sovereignty on all Palestinian lands, and Jerusalem is its capital city, and protecting the citizens' legal and equal rights without any racial or religious discrimination.
Article (14) Setting up a progressive society that warrants people's rights and their public freedom.
Article (15) Active participation in achieving the Arab Nation's goals in liberation and building an independent, progressive and united Arab society.
Article (16) Backing up all oppressed people in their struggle for liberation and self-determination in order to build a just, international peace.

Method

Article (17) Armed public revolution is the inevitable method to liberating Palestine.
Article (18) Entire dependence on the Palestinian people which is the pedestal forefront and on the Arab Nation as a partner in the fight, and realising actual interaction between the Arab Nation and the Palestinian people by involving the Arab people in the fight through a united Arab front.
Article (19) Armed struggle is a strategy and not a tactic, and the Palestinian Arab People's armed revolution is a decisive factor in the liberation fight and in uprooting the Zionist existence, and this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated.
Article (20) Achieving mutual understanding with all the national forces participating in the armed struggle to attain the national unity.
Article (21) Revealing the revolutionary nature of the Palestinian identity at the international level, and this does not contradict the everlasting unity between the Arab Nation and the Palestinian people.
Article (22) Opposing any political solution offered as an alternative to demolishing the Zionist occupation in Palestine, as well as any project intended to liquidate the Palestinian case or impose any international mandate on its people.
Article (23) Maintaining relations with Arab countries with the objective of developing the positive aspects in their attitudes with the proviso that the armed struggle is not negatively affected.
Article (24) Maintaining relations with all liberal forces supporting our just struggle in order to resist together Zionism and imperialism.
Article (25) Convincing concerned countries in the world to prevent Jewish immigration to Palestine as a method of solving the problem.
Article (26) Avoiding attempts to exploit the Palestinian case in any Arab or international problems and considering the case above all contentions.
Article (27) "FATEH" does not interfere with local Arab affairs and hence, does not tolerate such interference or obstructing its struggle by any party.