The Anti-Defamation League is going to court seeking to hold Iran, North Korea and Syria responsible for their role in aiding Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The pro-Israel advocacy group filed the suit on behalf of 100 Americans or their families seeking to hold the the countries responsible for “the deaths, physical and emotional injuries, and hostage-takings Hamas caused during its barbaric rampage.”
The group acknowledges that such suits are often ignored by the countries targeted in the litigation but said they serve as a potential pathway to secure compensation for victims through the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
“Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of antisemitism and terror — along with Syria and North Korea, they must be held responsible for their roles in the largest antisemitic attack since the Holocaust. We are doing everything possible to hold Hamas terrorists and those who support them accountable, including putting all of ADL’s weight behind this effort,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the group’s CEO, said in a release.
While foreign governments are generally considered beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, the terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act allows for courts to review whether countries should face civil damages in cases where they’ve sponsored attacks. Iran, North Korea and Syria are all designated state sponsors of terrorism under U.S. law.
Though the foreign governments typically do not respond, judges continue to weigh whether the plaintiffs have met the legal burden associated with proving their connection with terrorist activities.
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