Palestinian authorities ask US Supreme Court to halt $656m payment in terror judgment

The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority have asked the US Supreme Court to halt a $656 million judgment in a lawsuit filed by American victims of terrorist attacks in Israel, warning that payment would destabilize critical services in the West Bank.

The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority have filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court, asking it to halt a $656 million judgment in a long-running lawsuit brought by American victims of terrorist attacks in Israel. The appeal comes after the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the verdict in March, following a Supreme Court decision in 2025 that revived the lawsuits. The Palestinian authorities argue that paying the judgment would destabilize critical government services in the West Bank, harm innocent citizens, and jeopardize regional security. The lawsuit was filed by victims of attacks in Jerusalem in the early 2000s that killed 33 people and wounded hundreds. The lead plaintiff, Mark Sokolow, his wife, and two daughters were injured in a 2002 suicide bombing. The suit argues that the late PLO chairman Yasser Arafat paid attackers and their families, giving standing under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The Supreme Court's unanimous ruling last year stated that Congress and the president enacted the law to subject the PLO and PA to liability in US courts as part of a comprehensive legal response to international terrorism.