Supreme Court won't halt $656M judgment against PLO and Palestinian Authority

Key facts

• U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined to halt a $656 million judgment against the PLO and Palestinian Authority.
• The judgment is for victims of attacks in Israel between 2002 and 2004 that killed and injured Americans.
• The Palestinian entities argued that enforcing the judgment would destabilize government services in the West Bank.
• The lawsuit was brought under a federal law allowing claims against Palestinian authorities for acts of terror.
• The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously reinstated the judgment.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has declined to halt a $656 million judgment against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The ruling allows victims of attacks in Israel that killed and injured Americans between 2002 and 2004 to pursue payment from the Palestinian entities.

The Palestinian organizations had requested that the judgment be put on hold while they appeal a lower court's decision to revive the case. They argued that enforcing the judgment would cause severe financial harm and destabilize government services in the West Bank, potentially jeopardizing regional security. They stated that essential services are "hanging by a thread" and that plaintiffs intend to seek payment from indirect Palestinian tax revenue.

The lawsuit was initially filed by victims of attacks that occurred during the Second Intifada, a period of intensified Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The case has a complex legal history, having been tossed out by an appeals court in 2016 before being revived last year by the Supreme Court. The Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, passed by Congress, was instrumental in reinstating the case.

Advocates argue that the payout could amount to "collective punishment" against ordinary Palestinians, affecting essential workers and potentially leading to further instability. The PA, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank, has faced financial strain, partly due to Israel withholding tax revenues.