US Court Finds Iran Liable for Israeli-American Killed by Hamas

A US federal court says the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian government are liable for the death of Ari Fuld, an Israel-American man killed by a Hamas attack in 2018 in Israel.

In his ruling, US District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Tehran and Damascus to pay $191 million in damages to Fuld’s family.

Fuld was killed in the West Bank by a Hamas member with an eight-inch blade, according to court documents seen by the Jerusalem Post.

Due to Iran’s and Syria’s roles as state sponsors of Hamas terrorism, the court said it found Fuld’s estate and surviving family members are entitled to receive damages.

Iran and Syria "intentionally supported and encouraged a proxy actor who specifically sought to inflict violence upon innocent civilians," Judge Lamberth wrote.

In addition, the court found evidence to establish Hamas was responsible for the killing of Fuld – including online posts in which Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

The court also found the terrorist sought out an "English-speaking Israeli soldier of American origin”.

The Fuld family's attorney, Richard Heideman, stated in a statement that after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, it was well understood how the group specifically targets Americans and English speakers, not just Israelis.

Fuld, a prominent advocate for Israel, was widely recognized for his efforts in delivering care packages to the Israeli military.

Thousands of people attended Fuld's funeral, among them Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tweeted at the time: "I embraced [the family] in the name of the entire nation in this time of terrible grief. We are alive thanks to heroes like Ari. We will remember him forever."

Fuld was 45 years old when he was stabbed by 17-year-old Palestinian teenager Khalil Jabarin.

In 2020, the Judea Military Court convicted Jabarin of the intentional murder of Fuld and attempting to kill another person, sentencing him to pay over $365,000 to Fuld's family.

US Federal Courts vs. Islamic Republic

This comes half a year after another ruling by a US federal court against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Last June, a US federal court in Washington, DC, ruled in a default judgment that the regime in Tehran is obligated to compensate Iranian-American journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad for detaining her brother, Alireza Alinejad.

At the time, Alinejad posted a picture of the court ruling on X, adding that she would not accept the $3.325 million in damages awarded by the court.

In 2023, the same court ruled that Iran should pay nearly $20 million in damages to the family of an Iranian politician, who was arbitrarily imprisoned and tortured for 40 years.

The lawsuit was launched on behalf of former politicians Abbas Amir-Entezam’s children -- Ardeshir, Anoush, and Elham – who were 2, 6, and 9 at the time of his imprisonment.

Amir-Entezam was Iran's first post-Shah Deputy Prime Minister and became one of the Islamic Republic’s most prominent and longest-jailed dissidents.