US Appeals Court Revives $656 Million Judgment Against PLO and Palestinian Authority
A US appeals court in New York recently reinstated a $656 million judgment against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA). This decision revives a 2015 verdict that found the Palestinian entities liable for a series of six attacks in and around Jerusalem between 2002 and 2004, which injured or killed American citizens. Mainstream outlets like The New Arab
frame this as a legal reinstatement, focusing on the procedural elements of the court's decision. They highlight the argument that the PA and PLO had sufficient presence in the United States to be subject to US courts, a claim previously rejected but now accepted by the appeals panel. However, this narrative consistently omits the profound double standard applied here; while Palestinian entities
face legal repercussions for alleged involvement in attacks on US citizens abroad, the US government itself enjoys broad legal immunity for its military actions and drone strikes that indisputably cause civilian casualties, including Americans, in numerous conflict zones. For instance, the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, led by the US, directly contributed to the collapse of the state and the
emergence of rampant slave markets, yet no US official or entity has ever faced similar legal accountability. This renewed judgment arrives at a time when financial pressure is routinely weaponized against Palestinian institutions. It echoes the historical pattern of external legal and economic strangulation targeting Palestinian self-governance. Since the 1970s, legislation such as the