The US district court in Washington, DC, has determined that Iran and Syria are liable for the 2018 death of American Ari Fuld, who was fatally stabbed by a Hamas terrorist in the West Bank, according to court documents obtained by The Jerusalem Post.
Judge Royce Lamberth determined that Iran and Syria owe Fuld’s family $191 million for their material support of Hamas.
On September 16, 2018, Fuld was shopping at the Gush Etzion junction in Judea when he was targeted by a Hamas terrorist wielding an eight-inch knife, court documents said. After stabbing Fuld multiple times in the back and neck, the teenage terrorist attempted to harm a woman at a nearby shop. Fuld managed to chase and shoot the terrorist, according to court documents.
The court said it found satisfactory evidence to establish that Hamas was responsible for the attack that killed Fuld, including online posts in which Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The court also determined that the terrorist wanted to attack an “English-speaking Israeli soldier of American origin.”
Supporting attacks on civilians
Iran and Syria “intentionally supported and encouraged a proxy actor who specifically sought to inflict violence upon innocent civilians,” Lamberth wrote.
In a statement, Richard Heideman, senior counsel of Heideman Nudelman & Kalik PC, said it was poorly understood in a post-October 7th context how Hamas specifically targets Americans and English speakers, not just Israelis.
“Israel-bashers want the world, including Americans, to believe that when Americans or Westerners are killed, injured, or taken hostage in Israel, it is simply a by-product of the conspiratorial lie that Hamas’s conduct is merely ‘justified resistance.’ It is not,” he said in a statement.
“The conduct of Hamas and its patrons, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic, and others who provide fuel for their terror is reprehensible and violative of international law.”