Supreme Court Reinstates Lawsuits Against Palestinian Groups
The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated longstanding legal actions by American victims of terrorism against Palestinian entities. The decision revives lawsuits involving the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority, linked to attacks in the early 2000s and a 2018 incident, which resulted in numerous casualties.
Congress passed a law in 2019, specifically enabling these lawsuits to proceed, which was upheld by the justices. The victims and their families allege that Palestinian operatives either participated in or provoked the attacks.
Historically, Palestinian representatives have contended that such cases do not belong in American jurisdiction. Despite congressional attempts to facilitate these lawsuits, the federal appeals court in New York has repeatedly sided with the Palestinian groups.
In a pivotal 2016 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a $654 million jury award to the victims was overturned. The appeals court reasoned that U.S. courts should not preside over cases involving foreign entities when the attacks were not directly targeted at the United States.
The legal actions were initiated under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1992, which was enacted to allow U.S. judicial recourse for international terrorism victims, a response to the infamous 1985 cruise ship attack that killed American Leon Klinghoffer.
The jury had previously held the PLO and the Palestinian Authority accountable for six attacks, granting $218 million in damages, automatically tripled under the legislation. After the Supreme Court dismissed the victims’ appeal in 2018, Congress amended the law again to reinforce access to U.S. courts for the victims.
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