Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Block $655 Million Palestinian Judgment

The ruling stems from a years-long legal battle concerning shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area that resulted in the deaths and injuries of American citizens. While the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, the landscape shifted after Congress passed the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act in 2019. The Supreme Court upheld that law last year, effectively reviving the judgment that had been dormant since 2018.

Palestinian representatives warned that enforcing the payment could cripple essential government functions in the West Bank. They argued that because the plaintiffs intend to target tax revenue collected by Israel, the move threatens to destabilize schools, sanitation, and security infrastructure. Despite these warnings, Sotomayor declined to intervene or refer the emergency request to the full bench. The Palestinian authorities maintain that the judgment had become a legal nullity once previous appeals were exhausted, a position that the high court has now effectively bypassed through its refusal to halt the proceedings.