Court Blocks U.S. Suits by Jewish Families Against Palestinian Authority

A federal appeals court says the families of Jewish worshippers who were killed or wounded during a 2011 attack in the West Bank can’t sue the Palestinian Authority for damages in U.S. courts.

The decision last Friday upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss the case.

The attack by a Palestinian security guard killed Ben-Yosef Livnat, an Israeli citizen, and wounded Americans Yitzhak Safra and Natan Safra. The worshippers had come to pray at a site known as Joseph’s Tomb without authorization.

The families sued under the federal Anti-terrorism Act, saying the shooting took place at the behest of the Palestinian Authority and was directed at the U.S.

The U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said there was no evidence the attack targeted the U.S.