$655.5 million in damages for U.S. terror victims' families should be put on hold, Palestinian officials told the Supreme Court, saying immediate enforcement could cripple the Palestinian Authority during a deep fiscal and security crisis.
The PLO argues the lower court lacked jurisdiction to revive the award after it was thrown out in 2016 and became final in 2018, calling the reinstated judgment a constitutional violation of due process and separation of powers.
Palestinian officials said paying the judgment would consume roughly one-third of annual wages, salaries and pensions for public employees, worsening unpaid work and closures of clinics, hospitals and schools.
The filing says that shock could deepen recession, raise unemployment and fuel violence in the West Bank, with spillover risks for Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
The case stems from attacks in Israel between 2001 and 2004; after Congress changed the law and the Supreme Court upheld it last year, an appeals court reinstated the original jury award. The justices have not yet sought a response.