July 24, 2008

Terror Victims File "Mega Lawsuit" Against the Palestinian Authority and
Marwan Barghouti

Fourteen relatives of terror victims have filed a "mega lawsuit" for
450,000,000 NIS against the Palestinian Authority (PA), the PLO and
imprisoned Fatah Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti this morning. In addition,
the suit named seven other terrorists who are currently serving sentences
for their involvement in numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli
civilians as defendants. The lawsuit was filed in the District Court in
Jerusalem.

The plaintiffs are relatives of Ronen Landau z"l and Yoela Chen z"l,
residents of Givat Ze'ev, who were murdered seven years ago in two separate
terrorist attacks near the community of Givat Ze'ev (north of Jerusalem).
Ronen Landau, age 17, was murdered in an ambush on the Ramot-Givat Ze'ev
road, while driving with his father in a car, on his way home from a movie
in Jerusalem. Yoela Chen, age 45, was shot from short-range next to the
'Givonim' gas station near Givat Ze'ev, on her way to a relative's wedding.

Marwan Barghouti, head of the Fatah Tanzim, who is currently serving five
consecutive life-sentences plus 40 years for his responsibility in numerous
deadly terror attacks, was the commander of the terrorists who carried out
the murders of Landau and Chen. The Tel-Aviv District Court has already
convicted Barghouti of Chen's murder. Ahmed Barghouti, Marwan's accomplice
in planning the terror attacks and in organizing the terrorists who carried
out the shootings, is being charged as well.

The Landau and Chen families are represented by attorney Nitsana
Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat Hadin - Israel Law Center, which
represents terror victims in lawsuits against terror organizations in Israel
and around the world; and by attorney Roy Cohavi of Shurat Hadin - Israel
Law Center.

The families contend that Marwan Barghouti organized the terror attacks
against Israeli civilian targets and conspired with senior Fatah Tanzim
terrorists, who were in charge of actually carrying out the attacks -
including the ones which killed Landau and Chen. As such, Barghouti enacted
the predetermined policy of utilizing terror, confirmed before the launch of
the 'Al-Aqsa Intifada' by the PA and Yasser Arafat, to whom Barghouti
personally reported.

According to attorney Darshan-Leitner: 'We are demanding that the court set
a high and painful price tag for the physical injuries and emotional
damages inflicted upon residents of Israel by the terrorists, so that the
Palestinians will understand that Jewish blood is not cheap. We have
conclusive proof tying the PA and its senior officials to these terror
attacks near Givat-Zeev, as well as many other attacks. We also have clear
evidence of Marwan Barghouti's personal responsibility for the murders of
Ronen Landau and Yoela Chen. Barghouti is a convicted criminal and murderer
and should be treated as such. Barghouti's involvement in these heinous
crimes should always be remembered, especially these days when some
politicians call for this mass murderer's release from prison. Securing
justice for Landau and Chen's families against the Palestinians is securing
justice for all the residents of Israel.'

For More Information:

(ISRAEL) 0523-837020

(ISRAEL) 03-7514175

(US) 917-519-9340

Email: media@israellawcenter.org