PLO faces U.S. civil trial over terror attacks in Israel

[Valin]

Reuters:

Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK Sun Jan 11, 2015

 

(Reuters) - More than a decade after a series of shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area, a trial is slated this week in New York to determine whether the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority should pay up to $1 billion to victims.

 

Jury selection begins on Jan. 13 for the civil trial, which is expected to last 12 weeks and adds a new dimension to the long-running Middle East conflict and tensions among Palestinians, Israel and their respective allies.

 

"The political considerations are extremely complex," said Bruce Zagaris, a partner at Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe in Washington, D.C., specializing in international law.

 

The case concerns seven shootings and bombings from 2001 to 2004 that killed 33 people and wounded more than 450.

 

Victims and their families claim that the defendants helped carry out and finance the attacks, in part through support for Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which the U.S. government has labeled terrorist organizations.

 

(Snip)