Terror vics’ revenge
PLO trial set to begin
Israel is never far fromher mind. But not for the sunny days spent as a teen strolling along Jaffa Road, hunting for bargains in the Shook, or scaling cliffs at Nahal Og.
She’s haunted by a memory far more sinister: the time she was shot in the chest by a terrorist’s M16.
“I was just a kid, living her life, having a great time. Basically, doing college studies. It was a great, phenomenal time ofmy life, before st hit the fan,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous.
“I’m never going to fully recover. I have one lung. I am missing ribs. I have shrapnel near my heart. I have scars on my feet. I have PTSD. It affects every part of every moment of my life. It’s terrible.”
Now — finally — she hopes the people responsible for her pain will be forced to pay for it.
The mom of three is one of the plaintiffs set to testify in a trial that begins Tuesday in Manhattan federal court and that will call the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to task for allegedly supporting attacks in Israel carried out by Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades from 2001 to 2004.
Their $1 billion suit alleges seven terrorist acts— two shootings and five bombings that killed 33 and wounded at least 393 — were perpetrated by officers and employees of the PLO. It is the first case to go to trial against the groups.
“We are seeking a measure of justice, although these families will never get their loved ones back and will never be made whole again,” said attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner.
The trial is being held in Manhattan because the defendants have an office or an agent here.
Plaintiffs include 11 American families with members either killed or hurt in the seven attacks.
The PLO and PA deny any link. Their lawyers have said a large judgment could bankrupt the PA.
The case was filed in 2004 with lead plaintiff Mark Sokolow, an attorney from Cedarhurst, LI, who was wounded in a January 2002 suicide bombing in Jerusalem.
The PLO and PA have tried for years to avoid trial, losing a bid last week when the Court of Appeals ruled the trial may proceed.
If they win, lawyers said they “fully intend” to collect.
“The Palestinians have assured the court and the US State Department that they are litigating in good faith,” Darshan-Leitner said.