UNRWA not immune from lawsuits in US, DoJ says, arguing Oct. 7 victims' suit can go ahead
Source: Times of Israel
In a reversal of a previous stance, the US Department of Justice has said that the contentious UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, UNRWA, is not entitled to immunity from lawsuits in the United States, according to a court document circulated online late Thursday by lawyers, and subsequently by pro-Israel activists.
The Department of Justice’s opinion was submitted as part of an ongoing lawsuit in which the families of more than 100 victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror assault are claiming $1 billion in damages from UNRWA, asserting that the UN agency aided and abetted the terror group’s attack.
The lawsuit was filed last June in the Southern District of New York. It alleges that UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, let Hamas use its facilities for weapons storage, allowed tunnels and command centers to be built under its sites, and funneled cash into the terror group’s coffers by insisting on paying employees in US dollars.
In September, the Department of Justice, then under the administration of former president Joe Biden, asserted that the UN had not waived its immunity in US courts, and as such UNRWA was exempt from prosecution and the lawsuit could not proceed.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timesofisrael.com/unrwa-not-immune-from-lawsuits-in-us-doj-says-arguing-oct-7-victims-suit-can-go-ahead/amp/
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