A United States Federal Court in Rhode Island has ruled that Hamas must pay $116 million to the parents and children of Yaron and Efrat Ungar. Yaron, an American citizen, and his wife Efrat were murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1996, near the city of Beit Shemesh. The couple's two sons, who were 1 and 2 years old at the time, have grown up with Efrat's grandparents, Rabbi Uri and Yehudit Dasberg. The ruling was made in the framework of U.S. terrorism laws.
Efrat's brother Ze'ev Dasberg said, "We're happy that at least an American court knows who the guilty parties are, and we hope that this will, in some way, stop further attacks."
The court awarded each of the two children $30.5 million each, and $15 million to the Dasberg grandparents. Hamas was not represented in the court.
In a related item, the families of the 11 victims of the Beit Yisrael (Jerusalem) terrorist attack of March 2, 2002 have sued the Palestinian Authority for damages of 630 million shekels. The suit, filed in the Jerusalem District Court, claims that the PA initiated the attack - and includes a letter by the government to UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan laying the blame for the attack at the feet of the PA. The attack claimed the lives of Shlomo Nehmad and his wife Gafnit; their two daughters Shiraz and Liran; their nephews Sha'ul and Avraham Nehmad, two brothers; and two other nephews, Lidor and Oriah Ilan.
Efrat's brother Ze'ev Dasberg said, "We're happy that at least an American court knows who the guilty parties are, and we hope that this will, in some way, stop further attacks."
The court awarded each of the two children $30.5 million each, and $15 million to the Dasberg grandparents. Hamas was not represented in the court.
In a related item, the families of the 11 victims of the Beit Yisrael (Jerusalem) terrorist attack of March 2, 2002 have sued the Palestinian Authority for damages of 630 million shekels. The suit, filed in the Jerusalem District Court, claims that the PA initiated the attack - and includes a letter by the government to UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan laying the blame for the attack at the feet of the PA. The attack claimed the lives of Shlomo Nehmad and his wife Gafnit; their two daughters Shiraz and Liran; their nephews Sha'ul and Avraham Nehmad, two brothers; and two other nephews, Lidor and Oriah Ilan.