US Supreme Court clears $655 million terrorism payout by Palestinian groups

The PLO warned that enforcing the judgment would devastate public services and destabilize the West Bank The US Supreme Court has rejected a request by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to suspend enforcement of a $655.5 million judgment compensating American families whose relatives were victims of terrorist attacks in Israel in the 2000s.On Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the application filed by the Palestinian organizations without comment or referring it to the full court, Courthouse News Service reported.In their appeal, the PA and PLO argued that the massive payout “would plunge the Palestinian economy into a deep recession, including a sudden dramatic increase in the already high unemployment rate, and failure of critical social services.” They added that it would likely trigger “widespread violence” in the West Bank and destabilize Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.“Immediate enforcement would devastate the remaining public safety, security, the judicial system, health care, public schools, public works, communications, transportation, and reconstruction,” the PLO wrote.The case stems from lawsuits brought by the families of US n...