Finance Ministry: US Court Dismissed $900m Appeal Against PLO, PA

The Ministry said the lawyers of the PLO and PA achieved another legal breakthrough. WAFA
The Ministry said the lawyers of the PLO and PA achieved another legal breakthrough. WAFA
TT

Finance Ministry: US Court Dismissed $900m Appeal Against PLO, PA

The Ministry said the lawyers of the PLO and PA achieved another legal breakthrough. WAFA
The Ministry said the lawyers of the PLO and PA achieved another legal breakthrough. WAFA

The Palestinian Ministry of Finance said a US court has dismissed an appeal worth $900 million that had been submitted against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) at US courts, Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported Sunday.

The Ministry said the lawyers of the PLO and PA achieved another legal breakthrough after the Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed Schlotzsky's lawsuit filed against Palestine in 2002 on charges of "supporting terrorism".

It said the court found that the recent Congressional decision that subjects the PLO and the PA to the jurisdiction of the US law was unconstitutional.

“The US court ruling was issued despite repeated attempts by the plaintiffs and right-wing organizations supporting them to file cases against Palestine for financial compensation worth millions of dollars,” WAFA quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement.

These plaintiffs and right-wing organizations "had previously even pressed the Congress to change US law and to obtain legal support for the US administration.”

Finance Minister Shukri Bishara hailed the achievement and thanked President Mahmoud Abbas for his direct involvement in the case.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
TT

US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.