AJC Welcomes U.S. Verdict Penalizing Palestinian Authority for Terrorism

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Feb 23, 2015, 04:57 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomed today's U.S. jury verdict against the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, holding the Palestinian leadership responsible for terror attacks in Israel that killed or wounded American citizens.

"Perpetrators of terrorism and their sponsors must be held accountable," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Though the legal process took a long time, the victims' families have finally seen justice in the admirable, reasoned decision of the jury in a federal court in New York."

Ten American families initiated the lawsuit under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEPDA), which allows American nationals who are victims of international terrorism to sue in U.S. courts. The terror attacks took place in Israel between 2002 and 2004.

The jury in the Federal District Court in Manhattan awarded the plaintiffs $218.5 million in damages, to be paid by the PA and PLO. That number could triple under the terms of the AEPDA.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee