The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have been ordered to pay by a United States jury more than $218 million to the victims of the Jerusalem attacks.

The court found them guilty for providing material support to terrorists more than a decade ago.

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The verdict in the  landmark terrorism trial brought by the victims to a Manhattan federal court  was a 'victory' amid the long-running Middle East conflict that saw American victims of the Israeli-Palestinian war seeking damages in US courts.

The Palestinian authorities reportedly were nervous watching the landmark trial in the US brought by victims of Palestinian suicide bombings and shootings aimed at Israeli civilians.

The lawyer for the American plaintiffs, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, said that the verdict overwhelmingly showed the PLO and PA that supporting terrorism has a corresponding price and they should pay for it.

The jurors found in favor of the plaintiffs, consisting of 10 American families who sued over six attacks in the Jerusalem area, killing and injuring members of their families from 2002-2004. They attributed the attacks to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas.

The victims and their families asked for $350 million in damages or over $1billion for the 33 deaths and the more than 450 people injured that resulted from non-stop Palestinian bombings and shootings from 2002-2004. 

Kent Yalowits, lawyer for the victims, appealed to the Manhattan jury to award them the $350 million and make the PLO and PA pay for supporting and aiding the terrorists by providing them material support.

Yalowitz argued that no amount of money can ever bring back the dead family members but if money is all there is to give, then let money compensate for their 'unspeakable loss.'

Lawyers for the PLO and PA denied that their clients sanctioned the bombings and shootings from 2002-2004 saying that the terrorists acted on their own.

The argument was made even though members of their security forces were being tried in Israeli courts.

Although the victims were not around to hear the verdict, their lawyers said they had scored a 'victory' in the global fight against terrorism.

TagsPLO, pa., Israel, Hamas