WireAugust 4, 2026 at 2:31 PM
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The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for American victims of terror to potentially collect a massive $656 million judgment against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Monday refused to issue a stay that would have paused the financial penalty while appeals continue.
The lawsuit, brought by families of Americans killed and wounded in a series of attacks in Jerusalem in the early 2000s, has navigated a convoluted legal path for over two decades. The attacks resulted in 33 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The case tests the reach of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows U.S. courts to provide a venue for victims of international terrorism. After a lower court initially dismissed the verdict, the Supreme Court revived the case in 2025, leading the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the judgment in March.
Attorneys for the PLO and PA argued in court documents that paying the sum immediately could destabilize government services in the West Bank, a plea that has no bearing on the American national interest. The funds rightly belong to the American survivors and the families of those murdered, who have waited years for accountability. The focus of U.S. foreign policy and legal decisions should be on the restitution owed to American citizens victimized by foreign entities, not on the fiscal stability of foreign administrations.
The decision also highlights the critical nature of judicial appointments in enforcing laws that protect Americans from foreign-sponsored violence. With the stay denied, the plaintiffs—who expressed relief at the appeals court decision—can now pursue enforcement of a verdict that brings a measure of long-delayed accountability, while foreign lobbying interests continue to exert pressure to shield the perpetrators from financial consequences.