In a decision that affirms both the power of American law and the dignity of American lives, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the family of Ari Fuld, a U.S. citizen murdered in a 2018 terrorist stabbing in Israel, may pursue justice in an American courtroom.
In Fuld v. Palestinian Liberation Organization, the Supreme Court on June 20 reinstated the right of American terror victims and their families to sue the perpetrators of attacks committed overseas, as long as those groups deliberately maintain a presence in the United States.
It is a decision that resonates deeply with me. My daughter Alisa, then 20 years old, was murdered in a suicide bombing in 1995 while studying in Israel. Like Ari, she was an American citizen targeted simply for being who she was—Jewish, idealistic, full of life.
After Alisa’s murder, I brought a civil lawsuit using the newly adopted Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1995 against the government of Iran, which had sponsored the attack. That case became the first successful effort by an American victim’s family to hold a foreign terror sponsor accountable in a U.S. court.
But the 1995 law was directed at “state sponsors of terrorism,” and for victims of non-state actors—like the Palestinian Authority or the PLO—the way forward remained legally uncertain. Until now.
Ari Fuld, like my daughter, was an American citizen. A proud husband, father, and Israel Defense Forces veteran, he was stabbed to death outside a mall near his home in Gush Etzion. The attack was not random. It was part of a pattern: glorify the killers, pay their families a monthly reward, name schools and soccer tournaments after them, and continue the incitement in official Palestinian media and institutions.
Ari’s family, like so many others, turned to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), a law that allows U.S. nationals injured in international terror attacks to seek civil damages against those who commit, aid or abet such acts. But lower courts dismissed their case, ruling that because the attack occurred overseas and the Palestinian Authority’s U.S. ties were not “sufficient,” American courts lacked jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court rightly reversed that decision. It held that the Palestinian Authority and the PLO’s intentional, continuous and targeted presence in the United States, including lobbying, public relations efforts and interactions with government officials, creates the necessary legal connection for them to be held accountable in U.S. courts.
This is not just a win for the Fuld family. It is a restoration of a vital legal principle: that terrorists and their sponsors cannot seek the benefits of American engagement while dodging the consequences of murdering Americans.
In the years since Alisa was killed, I’ve seen countless families broken by acts of terror and then wounded again by legal systems that shrug and say: “Sorry. There’s nothing we can do.” Fuld changes that. It reopens the courthouse doors for victims of terror attacks in Israel, Europe and elsewhere, committed by groups that operate with impunity but maintain access to American politics, diplomacy and fundraising networks.
It also aligns this case with earlier victories under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, where families of victims of the Khobar Towers bombing, Pan Am 103, and other atrocities successfully sued state sponsors like Iran and Libya. But Fuld goes further by confirming that non-state actors—when they establish a deliberate U.S. footprint—can be held to the same standard.
The ruling doesn’t guarantee victory on the merits. But it guarantees something essential: a fair hearing. A courtroom. A voice.
And in cases like these, that means everything.
There is a cruel irony in how these attacks unfold. A loved one is suddenly murdered, the world moves on, and the perpetrators are celebrated and enriched. But this ruling says: Not so fast. If you murder Americans, you will be pursued. You will be called to account—not just by history, but by law.
Justice cannot resurrect the dead. It cannot replace a hug, the laughter around a family table or the future that was stolen. But it can provide acknowledgment, accountability, and occasionally, consequences.
For the Fuld family and for every family that has lived through this nightmare, this decision is a reminder that American citizenship is not just a passport; it is a promise. A promise that when terror strikes, our nation will not forget. And that when the world turns away, our courts may still stand tall.