'Collective punishment': US Supreme Court greenlights $656m judgement against Palestinian officials

The US Supreme Court has overturned a 22-year-old $656 million lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, allowing the collection of compensation for American victims of attacks during the Second Intifada. The decision, announced on Monday by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, comes after the plaintiffs, who suffered assaults between 2002 and 2004, secured damages in 2015.

The US Circuit Court of Appeals initially dismissed the judgment in 2016, arguing that U.S. courts cannot address lawsuits against foreign groups if the violence did not target American citizens. However, in 2023, the Supreme Court reinstated the case, voting 9-0 in favor of the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act. With the judgment now enforceable, the funds can be collected immediately.