Rhode Island District Court freezes Palestinian Authority assets in the US
{{date|August 31, 2005}}
[[Image:Condoleeza Rice.jpg|right|thumb|240px|[[w:United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[w:Condoleezza Rice|Condoleezza Rice]] (left) with [[w:US President|US President]] [[w:George W. Bush|George W. Bush]] (background).]]

A [[w:Rhode Island|Rhode Island]] district court has frozen all the [[w:United States|US]] assets of the [[w:Palestinian Authority|Palestinian Authority]] (PA), prompting Palestinian [[w:finance minister|finance minister]] [[w:Salam Fayyad|Salam Fayyad]] to request the aid of [[w:United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[w:Condoleezza Rice|Condoleezza Rice]].

The frozen assets include US holdings in an investment fund worth $1.3 billion, which was used to finance economic development, and $30 million from the [[w:Palestinian Monetary Authority|Palestinian Monetary Authority]].

The ruling was passed upon the PA when they refused to compensate the relatives of a [[w:Jewish|Jewish]] couple shot dead by members of [[w:Hamas|Hamas]] in [[w:1996|1996]].

US [[w:citizen|citizen]] [[w:Yaron Ungar|Yaron Ungar]] and his wife Efrat were killed while returning from a wedding near the [[w:West Bank|West Bank]], when their car was shot at repeatedly, killing the couple. Three Hamas militants were jailed as a result.

A lawsuit was filed in [[w:2000|2000]] against the Palestinian Authority, the PLO, Hamas, and [[w:Yasser Arafat|Yasser Arafat]] in Rhode Island.

Yasser Arafat hired [[w:lawyer|lawyer]] and former [[w:attorney general|attorney general]] [[w:Ramsey Clark|Ramsey Clark]] as his defense. In the case, Clark argued that the PA was a [[w:sovereign state|sovereign state]], and that it deserved [[w:immunity|immunity]] from [[w:prosecution|prosecution]] accorded to most countries. The court disagreed with this, and in [[w:2004|2004]] they ruled that [[w:Palestine|Palestine]] is not a state, and ordered them to pay the Ungars $116 million. A federal appeals court upheld the verdict in March.

The head of Washington's PA office, [[w:Hasan Abdul Rahman|Hasan Abdul Rahman]] said that his office had been "paralysed" by the verdict.

"It paralyzes the function of the office, and I think that is the intention of the plaintiffs." he told Associated Press shortly after the decision, and called upon the US administration to intervene.

== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4199548.stm
|title=Palestinian assets in US frozen
|author=
|pub=BBC News
|date=August 31, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/08/30/palestinian_authoritys_us_assets_are_frozen/
|title=Palestinian Authority's US assets are frozen
|author=Farah Stockman
|pub=The Boston Globe
|date=August 30, 2005}}

{{publish}}{{PD-Article}}
{{archive}}
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Middle East]]
[[Category:Palestine Liberation Organization]]
[[Category:Palestine]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Yasser Arafat]]
[[Category:Palestinian National Authority]]
[[Category:West Bank]]
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (left) with US President George W. Bush (background).

A Rhode Island district court has frozen all the US assets of the Palestinian Authority (PA), prompting Palestinian finance minister Salam Fayyad to request the aid of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The frozen assets include US holdings in an investment fund worth $1.3 billion, which was used to finance economic development, and $30 million from the Palestinian Monetary Authority.

The ruling was passed upon the PA when they refused to compensate the relatives of a Jewish couple shot dead by members of Hamas in 1996.

US citizen Yaron Ungar and his wife Efrat were killed while returning from a wedding near the West Bank, when their car was shot at repeatedly, killing the couple. Three Hamas militants were jailed as a result.

A lawsuit was filed in 2000 against the Palestinian Authority, the PLO, Hamas, and Yasser Arafat in Rhode Island.

Yasser Arafat hired lawyer and former attorney general Ramsey Clark as his defense. In the case, Clark argued that the PA was a sovereign state, and that it deserved immunity from prosecution accorded to most countries. The court disagreed with this, and in 2004 they ruled that Palestine is not a state, and ordered them to pay the Ungars $116 million. A federal appeals court upheld the verdict in March.

The head of Washington's PA office, Hasan Abdul Rahman said that his office had been "paralysed" by the verdict.

"It paralyzes the function of the office, and I think that is the intention of the plaintiffs." he told Associated Press shortly after the decision, and called upon the US administration to intervene.

*
United States Rhode Island Politics and conflicts Middle East Palestine Liberation Organization Palestine North America Yasser Arafat Palestinian National Authority West Bank