Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization

On June 20, 2025, the U.S. court heard the case of the Fuld family v. the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Fuld family accused the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA) of planning and funding the terrorist attack that led to the murder of Ari Fuld in the West Bank, seeking massive damages under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants paid "martyr payments" to the attacker, constituting effective conspiracy and aiding. The defendants argued that U.S. courts lacked personal jurisdiction and that their actions were sovereign in nature. This case tested the jurisdictional boundaries of U.S. courts over terrorism-related civil lawsuits occurring in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone.

The court ruled in favor of the Fuld family, finding the PLO and PA liable for compensatory and punitive damages under the Anti-Terrorism Act, concluding that the "pay-for-slay" program constituted a direct financial incentive for terrorism.

The primary dispute focused on whether U.S. federal courts had jurisdiction over the PLO under the Anti-Terrorism Act for attacks occurring entirely outside the United States, and whether the "martyr payments" constituted conspiracy to commit terrorist acts.

The ruling reinforced the use of U.S. federal courts to hold foreign entities accountable for terrorist attacks, further isolating the PLO diplomatically and encouraging similar civil suits by American victims of overseas terrorism. It intensified the debate over the extraterritorial application of U.S. anti-terrorism laws.