The Trump Justice Department says UN agencies will be sued in the United Nations over the attack in Israel, in which nearly 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans, were massacred on suspicion of his horrifying involvement with Hamas on October 7, 2023.
In a document filed Thursday in federal court in New York, the Justice Department said UNRWA (UN Relief and Palestinian Labor Bureau) is not entitled to immunity and will open the door to potentially large-scale lawsuits.
Families of more than 100 victims of Hamas-led terrorist attacks have allegedly claiming $1 billion in damages from UNRWA, claiming that UN agencies have supported and bet in the attacks of terrorist groups. UNRWA coordinates almost all aid to Gaza and is considered an affiliate of the United Nations, but operates independently.
Life under Hamas on the Gaza Strip is being exposed by locals living there in a new project in which some locals discuss life under the iron-covered grip of the terrorist group. (Reuters)
October 7 victims file lawsuit against UNRWA to support Hamas terrorists
The lawsuit filed last June in the Southern District of New York claims that UNRWA helped Hamas “deliberately provide Hamas with cash that requires smugglers to pay for weapons, explosives and other terrorist materials,” said the company.
More than $1 billion from UNRWA’s New York Bank account in Manhattan is said to benefit Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organisation, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit also accuses the agency of allowing tunnels and command centers to be built under its site.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of Unrwa, was appointed one of the defendants.
A memorial was at the location of the October 7th Hamastero attack at the Supernova Music Festival near Kibutz Reim, Israel, on May 27th. (Cobiwolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Justice Department said Thursday under the law, UNRWA is not considered part of the UN core structure, such as its major organs and subsidiaries, and is seen as similar to a “specialist institution” that the United States never agreed to grant full immunity under international treaties.
Therefore, UNRWA is not eligible for a diplomatic immunity under US law and must answer the lawsuit.
“The complaints in this case alleges the heinous conduct of UNRWA and its officers,” the April 24 document reads.
Hamas terrorists returned to the Gaza Strip on Saturday, October 7, 2023 with the body of Shani Luke, a double citizen of Germany and Israel. (AP Photo/Ali Mahmud)
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“Of course, such claims are just the first step in the long road that plaintiffs are required to prove what they alleged. The government believes they must answer these claims in American courts.
This marks a dramatic reversal from the Justice Department’s stance during the Biden era in October, claiming that UNRWA is protected by international legal immunity as part of the broader UN system.
The Justice Department move comes weeks after Sen. Ted Cruz of R-Texas introduced a law that would allow American victims of terrorist groups to retain organizations that fund organizations that are accountable in court. It strips its immunity especially from UNRWA and allows American terrorist victims to sue UNRWA and its workers in American courts, similar to what was attacked on October 7th.
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The bill essentially reintroduced a restrictive immunity to support supporters of the Fatal Extremism (Liability) Act. This is similar to the bill he introduced in his last parliament.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz wrote to AG Merrick Garland this week, calling on DOJ to launch a criminal investigation into UNRWA USA. (Getty Images)
The Department of Justice’s new position sets the core goal of Cruz’s liability litigation, partially achieved without the law, although liability acts permanently codify this immunity-free attitude into the law.
After a revelation about UNRWA workers who participated in the October 7th massacre, the United States has halted aid to UNRWA. Before the suspension, the US was UNRWA’s largest single donor.
Rachel Wolf of Fox News contributed to this report.
