Rami Hamdallah
Rami HamdallahFlash 90

Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Thursday welcomed a United States court decision to dismiss a $655 million verdict against the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) over damages caused to American citizens by terrorist attacks in Israel.

Last year, jurors found the PLO and PA liable for terrorist attacks carried out during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, and ordered the groups to pay the 10 families who filed the lawsuit $218.5 million, which was automatically tripled to $655.5 million under a U.S. anti-terrorism law.

But a federal appeals court in New York threw out the verdict on Wednesday, determining that the United States lacked jurisdiction over the lawsuit.

“We are gratified with the court’s just findings and we appreciate the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Finance, the legal team and all those who stood for justice and the Palestinian cause,” Hamdallah said on Thursday, according to the Ma'an news agency.

“Palestinians have suffered for too long under a brutal Israeli occupation. We hope for a just solution so people in Palestine and Israel can live in peace and harmony,” he added.

The PA had appealed the verdict after it was handed down last year, while the PLO later said it “lacks the funds” to pay the compensation.