The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to halt the enforcement of a court ruling requiring them to pay $655.5 million in damages to American families affected by attacks that occurred in Israel between 2002 and 2004.
This decision follows a legal battle that lasted over a decade, stemming from a lawsuit filed by American families before a federal court in New York, which awarded them a primary damages ruling of approximately $218.5 million in 2015.
Under U.S. law, that amount was tripled to $655.5 million.
In 2016, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, stating that U.S. courts lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
However, the Supreme Court reopened the legal proceedings in 2025, having upheld the constitutionality of a law passed by Congress in 2019, and sent the case back to lower courts for consideration.
In March 2026, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals brought the ruling back to the spotlight, prompting the Palestinian Authority and the PLO to again appeal to the Supreme Court in an attempt to suspend its enforcement.
The recent Supreme Court ruling keeps the judgment in effect for now, allowing plaintiffs to continue enforcement proceedings and seek damages, pending the completion of the legal process.
It is worth noting that the case relates to a series of attacks that took place in Israel during the Second Intifada, resulting in the death and injury of several individuals, including American citizens.
Families of the victims accused the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization of being responsible for supporting or financing the attackers, which both parties denied.