We are besieged, our lives are threatened, and the danger of our
destruction has not yet passed.
Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, “Out of the Depths” (p. 247)
- Introduction
- Private Litigation Involving Attacks Against U.S. Citizens in Israel
- U.S. Domestic Civil Cases & Criminal Terror Prosecutions
Terror attacks target innocent civilians going about their everyday activities – visiting a holy site, attending a celebration, riding a bus to work, having lunch at a pizza parlor.
One example, as told by Rabbi Lau (ibid, pp. 266-267):
In July 2001, almost one year after the Second Intifada began, at two in the afternoon, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded pizza restaurant, Sbarro, in the heart of Jerusalem. Fifteen people were killed, and about one hundred injured. At nine that evening, the phone rang in my home in Tel Aviv, and the voice of a young woman, choked with tears, spoke on the other end of the line: “I’m calling from Bikur Cholim Hospital in Jerusalem. Do you remember Tzira Schijveschuurder? This is her sister speaking. Tzira was killed today at the Sbarro restaurant. Her husband, Moti, was also killed. It’s summer vacation, so they took a day off and went to Jerusalem with the kids. They went into Sbarro to have pizza for lunch. Three of the five children with them in the restaurant were killed: Ra’aya, Avraham Yitzhak, and Hemda. The youngest was two years old, the oldest fourteen. The three older boys were saved. Two were in the army, and the third was not with the family. The two little girls that survived, Leah-le and Chaya-le, are wounded and hospitalized.”
A comprehensive list of terror attacks in Israel from 1993 to the present is maintained at the Jewish Virtual Library. The lawsuits in the tables below account for only a small portion of those attacks, the families and victims who brought those lawsuits having sought some measure of justice.
This database of lawsuits and litigation documents should be seen not just as a dry listing of cases, but as a memorial to those individuals who were murdered or maimed by acts of hatred. The lawsuits were typically brought by family members of the terror victims, or the victims themselves. The documents record not only the legalities of each case, but contain the stories of the terror attacks.
Private Litigation Involving Attacks Against American Citizens in Israel
I. Lawsuits stemming from the October 7, 2023 Massacre by Hamas
The invasion and attack by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from Gaza into southern Israel on October 7, 1983, was a premeditated, and coordinated massacre in which terrorists murdered 1,200 people and injured nearly 5,000 more in the deadliest killing of Jews since the Holocaust.
The table lists cases brought in the United States under its anti-terror laws, seeking damages for the death, injury, and suffering caused by the events of October 7. In addition to the claims detailed in these lawsuits, there has been substantial additional documentation of the massacre. For Information on the Gaza war that has followed see our page on the war.
| Lead Defendant/Plaintiff | Description | Status | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJP Educational Foundation, Inc. | |||
| Parizer, Maya | Pending | ||
| Al Jazeera Media Network | |||
| Schnaider, Maurice II | Pending | ||
| American Muslims for Palestine | |||
| Schnaider, Maurice I | Pending | ||
| The Associated Press | |||
| Newman, Noach | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | ||
| Binance Holdings Limited | Pending | ||
| Raanan, Judith | |||
| Antony Blinken | |||
| Halley, Ethan | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | ||
| Islamic Republic of Iran | |||
| Arnin, Ayelet I | Pending | ||
| Duvdevani, Giora | Pending | ||
| Mark, Pdaya | Pending | ||
| Neta, Adrienne | Pending | ||
| Sasi, Avraham | Pending | ||
| Weiser, Yisrael | Pending | ||
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | |||
| Arnin, Ayelet II | Pending | ||
| Nerdeen Kiswani | |||
| Haggai, Iris | Pending | ||
| Bashar Masri | |||
| Shalom, Tom | Pending | ||
| Syrian Arab Republic | |||
| Arnin, Ayelet III | Pending | ||
| UNRWA | |||
| Atzili, Liat | Pending | ||
| Sha’arabany, Sivan | Pending | ||
| Siman Tov, Tamar | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | ||
| UNRWA USA National Committee, Inc. | |||
| Lavi, Lishay | Pending |
II. Lawsuits against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
In these cases, the primary defendants are the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). For the most part, the plaintiffs have been stymied on jurisdictional grounds, though at least two were settled for undisclosed sums. The U.S. Congress passed legislation in an effort to ameliorate the jurisdictional situation, but it is not yet finally settled how the courts will treat that legislation.
Significantly, in one of the cases against the PA – Sokolow – there was a full jury trial on the merits, the jury finding the PA and PLO responsible and awarding $218,000,000 in damages, trebled by the District Court. After years of appellate litigation the Supreme Court has ruled that American victims of terror can sue the PA and the PLO in U.S. courts.
| Lead Plaintiff | Description | Status | Type of Incident | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biton, Avigail | Withdrawn | Bus Bombing | ||
| Fuld, Miriam | Pending After Remand | Stabbing at a Mall | ||
| Gilmore, Reuven | Summary Judgment Dismissed | Shooting at Office Building Jerusalem | ||
| Klieman, Esther | Pending After Remand | Shooting Attack - Bus | ||
| Knox, Leslye | Settled After Default | Shooting Attack Banquet Hall | ||
| Levine, Shelley | Pending | Shooting and Stabbing Synagogue | ||
| Livnat, Rivka | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Machine-Gun Attack at Holy Site | ||
| Parsons, Mark | Voluntary Dismissal | Roadside Remote Bomb | ||
| Safra, Yitzhak | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Machine-Gun Attack at Holy Site | ||
| Saperstein, Moshe | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Shooting Attack Roadside | ||
| Shatsky, Shabtai I | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Suicide Bomber - Pizzeria | ||
| Shatsky, Shabtai II | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction - Appealed | Suicide Bomber - Pizzeria | ||
| Sokolow, Mark | Pending | Suicide Bombings Shooting Attacks | ||
| Ungar, Yaron I | Settled After Default | Shooting Attack Roadside |
III. Lawsuits against Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan
These cases have been brought against countries which have aided and supported terror attacks in Israel – Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan. Countries are generally immune from being sued in the courts of the United States under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. However, the law carves out an exception where terrorist attacks are involved. In these lawsuits the governments sued failed to appear in the proceedings. Thus, there have typically been default judgments and default awards granted after a fact-finding inquiry convinced the court that the defendants were implicated in the terror crimes.
As for the multitude of litigation and complex efforts that have been pursued to collect on those default judgments, those efforts are beyond the scope of this database.
| Lead Defendant/Plaintiff | Description | Status | Type of Incident | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | ||||
| Baxter, William Jack I | Default $1,988,831,421 | Several (10) | ||
| Beer, Harry II | Punitive Damages $300,000,000 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Beer, Harry I | Default $13,000,000 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Baxter, William Jack II | Default - Award Included in Baxter I | Several (10) | ||
| Belkin, Lawrence | Default $18,525,763 | Suicide Bombing Shopping Mall | ||
| Ben Haim, Seth | Default $16,000,000 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Bennett, Michael | Default $12,904,548 | Bombing - University Cafeteria | ||
| Bluth, Nethanial | Default $43,500,000 | Shooting and Grenade Attack - Classroom | ||
| Bodoff, Jeffrey I | Default $316,988,300 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Bodoff, Jeffrey II | Default $316,988,300 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Borochov, Eli | Partial Dismissal Default $55,000,000 | Several (3) | ||
| Botvin, Yael | Partial Default $1,704,457 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Braun, Shmuel | Default $178,500,000 | Car Ramming Train Station | ||
| Campuzano, Diana | Default $153,463,608 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Cohen, Ilana | Default $10,050,000 | Shooting Attack - Bus | ||
| Cohen, Ora | Default $208.950,000 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Eisenfeld, Leonard | Default $327.161,002 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Felber, Nathaniel | Default $168,000,000 | Shooting Attack | ||
| Flatow, Steven | Default $247,513,220 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Force, Stuart I | Default $514,211,409 | Several (7) | ||
| Fraenkel, Abraham | Default $60,500,000 | Kidnapping and Murder | ||
| Gill, Mati I | Default $30,000,000 | Shooting Attack | ||
| Goldberg-Botvin, Julie | Default $40,890,000 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Goldstein, Shalom | Default $13,062,500 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Greenbaum, Steven | Default $19,879,023 | Suicide Bombing Pizzeria | ||
| Henkin I | Default $90,000,000 | Shooting Attack | ||
| Henkin II | Default $231,097,560 | Shooting Attack | ||
| Hirshfeld, Yonadav I | Default $191,950,000 | Shooting Attack | ||
| Jakubowicz, Akiva | Default $50,321,250 | Several (5) | ||
| Kirschenbaum, Jason I | Default $13,750,000 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Kirschenbaum, Jason II | Punitive Damages $300,000,000 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Mark, Chava I | Default $141,250,000 | Machine-Gun Attack | ||
| Roth, Arnold I | Default $131,191,019 | Suicide Bombing Pizzeria | ||
| Rubin, Jenny I | Default $259,000,000 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Salzman, Stan | Default $17,500,000 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Schwartz, Ruth | Default $118,722,960 | Machine-Gun Attack | ||
| Shoham, Batsheva | Dismissed - Insufficient Evidence | Stoning Attack | ||
| Singer, Sarri | Default $22,500,000 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Sisso, Avraham | Default $20,000,000 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Steinberg, Max | Default $165,934,000 | Rocket-propelled Grenades | ||
| Stern, Shaul | Default $313,000,000 | Bombing Open Air Food Market | ||
| Tratner, Baruch | Default $76,773,057 | Mortar Attack Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Wachsman, Esther | Default $46,709,931 | Kidnapping and Murder | ||
| Weinstein, Susan | Default $206,248,164 | Suicide Bombing - Bus | ||
| Weinstock, Sharon I | Default $78,873,000 | Shooting Attack | ||
| Wultz, Sheryl | Default $332,068,634 | Suicide Bombing Restaurant | ||
| Syria | ||||
| Ben-Yishai, Yitzhak | Default $111,547,340 | M16 Rifle Attack | ||
| Leibovitch, Shlomo | Default $67,000,000 | Machine-Gun Attack | ||
| Lelchook, Ester I | Default $20,535,665 | Rocket Attack | ||
| Roth, Arnold II | Default $74,764,076 | Suicide Bombing Pizzeria | ||
| Shatsky, Shabtai III | Pending - in Default | |||
| North Korea | ||||
| Calderón-Cardona, Ruth | Default $378,000,000 | Shooting and Grenade Attack - Airport | ||
| Kaplan, Chaim | Default $169,439,132 | Multiple Rocket Attacks | ||
| Sudan | ||||
| Force, Stuart II | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Several (11) | ||
| Hirshfeld, Yonadav II | Pending | Shooting Attack | ||
| Mark, Chava II | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Machine-Gun Attack | ||
| Steinberg, Stuart | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Multiple | ||
| Weinstock, Sharon II | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | Shooting Attack |
IV. Lawsuits against Banks, “Charities”, and Others
| Lead Defendant/Plaintiff | Description | Status | Incident | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Bank, Ltd | ||||
| Licci, Yaakov | ||||
| American Muslims for Palestine | ||||
| Boim, Stanley II | Pending | Shooting Attack Bus Stop | ||
| Arab Bank | ||||
| Afriat-Kurtzer, Gila | ||||
| Almog, Oran | ||||
| Bennett, Michael | ||||
| Coulter, Robert, Sr. | ||||
| Gill, Mati II | Dismissed | Shooting Attack | ||
| Goldstein, Sholom | ||||
| Jesner, Joseph | ||||
| Linde, Courtney | Confidential Settlement | Attacks During 2nd Intifada | ||
| Litle, Phillip | ||||
| Miller, Aharon | ||||
| Pam, Nathan | ||||
| Roth, Arnold | ||||
| Weiss, Steward | ||||
| Bank of Palestine | ||||
| Singer, Sarri | Pending | Several (12) | ||
| Bank Saderat | ||||
| Henkin III | Pending | Shooting Attack | ||
| Kumer, Malka | Multiple Rocket Attacks | |||
| Lelchook, Ester II | ||||
| BLOM Bank SAL | ||||
| Honickman, Michal | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | Several (12) | ||
| BNP Paribas, S.A. | ||||
| Moses, Naftali | ||||
| Cairo Amman Bank | ||||
| Averbach, Julie | ||||
| Central Bank of Iran | ||||
| Kaplan, Chaim | ||||
| Lelchook, Ester III | ||||
| Commerzbank | ||||
| Lelchook, Alexander | ||||
| Credit Lyonnais | ||||
| Strauss, Moses | ||||
| Wolf, Bernice | ||||
| Education for a Just Peace in the Middle East | ||||
| Keren Kayameth LeIsrael | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | Support of Terror | ||
| Cohen, Racheli | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | |||
| Force, Stuart | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | |||
| Fransabank Sal | ||||
| Tamam, Zivie | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Multiple Rocket Attacks | ||
| Hamas | ||||
| Rubin, Jenny II | Default $214,500,000 | Suicide Bombing Pedestrian Mall | ||
| Hezbollah | ||||
| Kaplan, Chaim | Default $111,485,900 | Multiple Rocket Attacks | ||
| Kumer, Malka | Multiple Rocket Attacks | |||
| Kuveyt Turk Katilimi Bankas | ||||
| Henkin IV | Pending | Shooting Attack | ||
| Lebanese Canadian Bank | ||||
| Kaplan, Chaim | ||||
| Lelchook, Ester IV | ||||
| Licci, Yaakov | ||||
| Mousa Abu Marzouk | ||||
| Weinstock, Sharon III | Default $78,873,000 | Shooting Attack | ||
| National Westminster Bank | ||||
| Applebaum, David | ||||
| Weiss, Tzvi | ||||
| Palestine Investment Bank | ||||
| Spetner, Temima | Pending | Material Support for Terrorists | ||
| Qatar Charity & Qatar National Bank | ||||
| Force, Stuart II | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | |||
| Henkin, Anne | Pending | Shooting and Stabbing Attacks | ||
| Przewozman, Chaim | Dismissed - Lack of Jurisdiction | Material Support for Hamas | ||
| Steinberg, Stuart | Voluntary Dismissal | Ambush by Hamas in Gaza | ||
| Quranic Literacy Institute | ||||
| Boim, Stanley I | Jury Trial $156,000,000 | Shooting Attack Bus Stop | ||
| Societe Generale de Banque | ||||
| Lelchook, Ester V | ||||
| UBS AG | ||||
| Goldberg, Karen | Settled | |||
| Rothstein, Rachel | Dismissed - Failure to State a Claim | Several (6) |
U.S. Domestic Civil Cases & Criminal Terror Prosecutions
Terrorist criminal prosecutions and domestic civil cases in the U.S. typically do not have a connection to Israel. However, the extent of these cases demonstrates the pervasiveness of the problem. The Investigative Project on Terrorism maintains an extensive database of terrorism prosecutions and civil cases in the U.S., including documents from those cases.











