Palestinians must pay USD 218 mn to attack victims

A US jury today ordered Palestinian authorities to pay USD 218 million in damages to American victims of six separate attacks in Israel between 2002 and 2004.
The jury found the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) liable on 25 separate charges and awarded the damages after one day of deliberations in a New York court.
Eleven plaintiff families filed suit in federal court against both the PA and the PLO following the attacks that killed 33 people and injured more than 390 others.
The plaintiffs had pressed for the PA and the PLO to be held accountable for supporting the attacks carried out by members of the Islamist movement Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, some of whom were also on the entities' payroll.

But lawyers for the PA said last week it should not be held responsible for "crazy and terrible" attacks committed in Israel, insisting the subjects acted independently.