The Jerusalem District Court on Monday granted the request of 11 families of victims of the Nova Music Festival massacre executed by Hamas on October 7, issuing a temporary attachment order of up to NIS 169 million ($42.8 million) against the Palestinian Authority (PA). This means that should the families win their lawsuit against the PA for NIS 334 million ($84.7 million), the amount would be allocated for their compensation.
The appeal, filed by attorneys Tzvi A. Shamir and Gilead Sher, argued that the victims named in the lawsuit were among those attending the Nova festival and were murdered by terrorists. It included a victim who was present at Nova and was injured.
The attachment request claimed, "The Palestinian Authority, which has transferred and continues to transfer funds as rewards and compensation to terrorists and their families under PA legislation, thereby supports the terror acts committed by the terrorists in the massacre. Hence, the PA bears liability for damages to terror victims and their families."
The request further argued that Israel’s law for compensating terror victims provides the petitioners with a solid basis for a claim against the PA and allows for a direct civil lawsuit against any entity involved in a terror act.
The law allows exemplary compensation of NIS 10 million ($2.5 million) to the families of those killed in terror attacks and NIS 5 million ($1.25 million) to those left disabled, in addition to compensation for damages and other stipends.
The request also added that, according to the Compensation of Victims of Terrorism Bill, a "terror-supporting body" is defined as any entity that transfers funds due to a terror attack for the benefit of the perpetrator or on their behalf.
Last September, the Jerusalem District Court issued an attachment order of NIS 160 million ($40.6 million) on funds designated for the Palestinian Authority at the appeal of dozens of other bereaved families, including families who lost loved ones in the past year, represented by attorneys Barak Kedem and Arie Arbus.
The families were those whose relatives were murdered in recent years’ attacks, including terrorist infiltrations, suicide bombings in major cities and the events of October 7, including the Nova festival massacre.
The funds were seized under the 2018 Law on Freezing Revenues Designated for the Palestinian Authority which includes the Payments to Prisoners and Families of Terrorism Offenders clause.
According to the 2018 law, Israel’s defense minister submits a report to the Security Cabinet at the end of each year detailing the total amount paid by the Palestinian Authority's Martyrs Fund to terrorists and their families in the previous year. The following year, an amount equal to 1/12 of the reported sum is frozen from the tax revenues Israel transfers to the PA each month.
Currently, NIS 2 billion ($532 million) is frozen in the state's treasury due to this law. The court has now decided to seize money from the fund and allocate it to the plaintiffs who sued the Palestinian Authority.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: