Israeli court: PA liable for civil damages from attacks

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – An Israeli court on Monday held the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) liable for civil damages from attacks during the Second Intifada.

The Jerusalem District Court issued the ruling after Shurat Hadin, an Israeli law center, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the families of eight Israelis killed in attacks, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper.

The Israeli daily said the verdict could make the PA responsible for compensating the families with a maximum of $1 billion in damages.

Although some attacks were claimed by the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Israeli court said that the PA was still liable for the attacks.

In January, the same court placed a temporary lien on a plot of land in Jerusalem owned by late President Yasser Arafat after Shurat Hadin filed a civil damages lawsuit against the PA.

Unlike the First Intifada, which lasted from 1987 to 1993, the Second Intifada was marked by frequent clashes and military escalations between Palestinian resistance groups and the Israeli army.

According to official Palestinian and Israeli figures, 4,412 Palestinians were killed and 48,322 injured during the Second Intifada, while 1,069 Israelis were killed and 4,500 injured.

During the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005, the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip were both subjected to Israeli military invasions, in which thousands of homes were destroyed and thousands of acres of farmland devastated.