Israel Matzav

Jerusalem District Court allows Israelis to sue 'Palestinian' terrorists

The Jerusalem District Court has issued a ruling that makes it easier for Israelis to sue 'Palestinian' terrorists in Israel.

The Jerusalem District Court, in an unprecedented decision, has ruled that legal papers can be served against individuals representing terrorist groups without having to deliver the suit personally to the terrorist group. Previous suits filed against the Palestinian Authority in the United States and in Israel have amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the new open door for more lawsuits could help cripple the terrorist organizations politically and financially.

The decision overrules a lower court ruling and opens the door for individual lawsuits by victims of terror groups such as Islamic Jihad and Hamas, according to the Israel Law Center (Shurat HaDin).

“One cannot very well travel into the Gaza Strip to hand Hamas the papers,” explained the Law Center. “It is far too dangerous to enter Jenin, where Fatah's bomb factories are located, and try to catch them at work. Moreover, there are not many process servers willing to deliver a complaint to Hizbullah for us in southern Lebanon."

The District Court reasoned that a terrorist organization is similar to a business corporation, allowing its de facto representatives to be served legal papers.

Unfortunately, it's much more likely that it will drive the 'de facto representatives' who are actually located in Israel into hiding. We'll probably see a lot more press conferences like the Hamas one at the top of this post. Or we'll see the IDF driving up to terror headquarters to serve summonses.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:05 PM