Two cases, to be heard jointly by the Supreme Court, which could potentially bankrupt the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, will be decided in the next few months. More on the cases, and their possible devastating effect on the Palestinian Authority’s finances, can be found here: “Supreme Court to hear case on Palestinian Authority’s ‘martyr’ payments,” by Marc Rod, Jewish Insider, February 10, 2025:
The Supreme Court is set to hear a case in the coming months to decide whether American victims of Palestinian terror attacks can sue the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority for damages based on support for such attacks through the “pay for slay” program that compensates individuals who have carried out attacks as well as their families.These cases raise the question of whether a 2019 act of Congress, asserting jurisdiction over the PA and PLO, is constitutional.
The Supreme Court cases — Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization and United States v. Palestine Liberation Organization, which the court will hear jointly — pertain to a decades-long series of litigation efforts by American terror victims and their families to sue the PLO and PA.
In one case in 2015, a lower court awarded a group of victims more than $650 million. But the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has repeatedly ruled as unconstitutional multiple pieces of legislation passed by Congress to assert U.S. jurisdiction over the PLO and PA and enable such lawsuits….
Mark Pinkert, an attorney at Holtzman Vogel who filed the brief on behalf of the groups, told Jewish Insider that, through repeated legislation, Congress has made its intentions clear.
Congress said, ‘We want to make sure victims get access to justice, and we think that civil liability is a really important tool for fighting foreign terrorism,’” Pinkert explained, adding that creating such civil liability is part of Congress’ efforts to end the PA’s payment program….
Pinkert said that the justices’ decision will likely ultimately revolve around questions of whether the Fifth Amendment limits Congress’ ability to pass such legislation; the victims argue that it does not.
Pinkert said that given the court’s current originalist bent, it may favor that interpretation of the intent of the Fifth Amendment, though Supreme Court decisions are often difficult to predict.
He added that, although the Supreme Court is independent, it will be “hard for them to ignore” the strong bipartisan support for PSJVTA and efforts to hold the PA and PLO civilly liable.
“It’s a big deal to strike down a federal statute, and not just any federal statute, but one that has been passed over and over again with bipartisan support and with so many amicus groups supporting the petitioners,” Pinkert said. “On a practical level, I think that’s going to be in the back of the Supreme Court justices’ minds.”
If the Supreme Court decides that the Fifth Amendment does not limit Congress’ ability to pass such legislation, so that the 2019 law, the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), is declared constitutional, the effect will be to allow lawsuits by relatives of victims of Palestinian terrorism against the PA and the PLO, the first for supporting terrorism with its “Pay-For-Slay” program and the second for being a designated terrorist organization, that would likely bankrupt both. The Court’s conservative majority is almost certain to declare the legislation constitutional.
Patrick says
I hope the PA goes bankrupt, along with shipping all who Support Hamas be Deported. It could be a blow to Islam worldwide.
bogdan says
The israeli high court for injuctice will rull in favour of the islamics-
somehistory says
OT and Horrible
“Ilhan Omar and Tim Walz being floated to replace Tina Smith in Senate”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ilhan-omar-and-tim-walz-being-floated-to-replace-tina-smith-in-senate/ar-AA1z0pQA?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=68c6a6d836cd4824e3ba9443461e0b30&ei=31
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I’d love for her to be the Senate candidate. I do think that even though it is a Blue state, the GOP there can find someone to trounce her. Tim Walz might be harder, but he has been elected governor at least twice now
Long term, I noticed that Pete Hegseth had run in a GOP primary for the US Senate in 2012, but had been defeated in the primary. If he is not Sec Def again in 2028, then he could revisit this. In his hearings, Fauxahontas demanded of him a vow that he wouldn’t be a lobbyist for defense contractors in the same way that generals couldn’t be, and his response was that he was not a general. But it was a stupid question: after a stint as defense secretary, his profile has certainly escalated, and if he ran for public office, even in a state as blue as Minnesota, he’d have a good chance
somehistory says
Didn’t some victims and family members of victims, sue saudi arabia for their part in 911? what would be the difference here?
And the ghouls of the pa….abbas and his sons….have made billions off Americans. They should be made to pay some of it back.
abu taleb says
Besides PA, those who give money to PA while knowing that PA use the money to pay the jihadis for killing people should also held responsible
Barbara Bass says
People “sounding off” on this matter on the internet and elsewhere, will have influence, hopefully, on the court. Perhaps this article could be posted on FB so we can share. Most people are not aware of this and that’s one way.
Transmaster says
Now that we know that USAID gave millions to the PLO, which was used to pay Weregild to the families of jihadist martyrs. Is there action that can be taken stateside?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I’m not getting it. Let’s say that an American family sues the Palestinian authority and the PLO and wins, what next? How can the PA be forced to part w/ money it already has?
I can see if money they are getting from others, such as Qatar, are intercepted and redirected towards the victims, but I just don’t see how else they could be forced to pay
somehistory says
I wondered the same.
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
Perhaps the best that we could hope for would be that the “Palestinian Authority” never receives another nickel from the US government – directly or indirectly.
OLD GUY says
Stop all foreign aid. Period! American tax dollars should never be given to foreign governments of organizations. If people want to help others out side of our country do it through charities.
OLD GUY says
Stop all foreign aid. Period! American tax dollars should never be given to foreign governments of organizations. If people want to help others out side of our country do it through charities.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Both James & Old Guy
💯