JERUSALEM (VINnews) — After a persistent legal battle that lasted more than two decades, victims of terrorism from the Second Intifada recorded a historic victory on Sunday.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York reinstated the verdict in the Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization case, requiring the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority to pay $655.5 million in damages to victims of terrorism (who are American citizens) and their families.

This dramatic ruling follows a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in May 2025, which paved the way for holding the Palestinian Authority accountable for financing and encouraging terrorist activity against American citizens.

The original lawsuit was filed in 2004 against the Palestinian Authority and the PLO by ten families of terror victims who were harmed during the Second Intifada. Among the victims were members of the Gritz, Coulter, Blushtein, and Carter families, who lost their children in the cafeteria bombing at the Hebrew University; the Goldberg family, who lost the father in the Line 19 bus bombing in Jerusalem; and individuals including Shaina Gold, Yonatan and Alan Bauer, Shaul Mandelkorn, and Mark Sokolow, who were injured in various attacks on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem.

In 2015, a jury found the Palestinian Authority and the PLO responsible for the terrorist attacks and ordered them to pay $655.5 million in damages. The Palestinian Authority appealed the ruling on the grounds of lack of personal jurisdiction, and the appeals court accepted the argument, ruling that there was insufficient connection between the Palestinian Authority and the United States, and overturned the verdict.

For ten years, the victims and their attorneys, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and Kent Yalowitz, waged a legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, including legislative changes in the U.S. Congress. Among these was the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), under which Congress determined that certain conduct by foreign entities, such as payments related to terrorist activity and continued activities with ties to the United States, may constitute consent to the jurisdiction of U.S. courts.

In May 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court accepted the plaintiffs’ argument and ruled that jurisdiction does indeed exist. Central to the decision was the policy of payments to attackers who killed American citizens, which, under the new law, creates the necessary connection to the United States and is considered consent by the Palestinian Authority to the jurisdiction of U.S. courts in terrorism cases. The Court upheld the constitutionality of this framework, thereby paving the way for imposing liability on the Palestinian Authority.

The Court of Appeals was then faced with deciding whether to reinstate the original verdict or allow the plaintiffs to retry the case. Taking into account the prolonged proceedings and Congress’s interest in combating terrorism, the court overturned its previous dismissal, ruled that the law applies retroactively, and reinstated the original verdict.

Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who represents the victims in the case, said:

“This is a ruling that marks a historic turning point in the fight against terrorism. Not only does it restore the ability of American terror victims to receive compensation after years of struggle, it also changes the rules of the game: from now on, U.S. courts will be able to hear cases that previously could not even be brought before them. This is a day of great victory in our persistent fight to cut off the financial lifelines of terrorist organizations.”

Dr. Alan Bauer, an American biologist who was severely injured in a 2002 attack in Jerusalem and one of the plaintiffs, added:

“I never imagined that the path to justice would be so long and complex. But we refused to give up. We promised ourselves we would see this case through to the end. We were determined to hold those responsible for acts of terror against us accountable and finally make them answer for their crimes. Today, we achieved a landmark victory.”