Rabbi Leo Dee sues Palestinian Authority, Hamas for loved ones' murders

Rabbi Leo Dee and his family have filed a lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for the murder of his wife and two daughters, Ynet reported in October.

Dee is demanding NIS 50 million in compensation after the shooting attack, claiming the Palestinian Authority supports terrorism and the murder was committed by Hamas terrorists.

Rabbi Dee, who is British-Israeli, spoke to the Jewish Chronicle when he visited the UK. He criticized the PA’s “pay for slay” system, also known as the “Martyrs’ Fund,” which pays monthly stipends to the families of Palestinian terrorists killed while attacking Israelis.

"It's the largest terror funding scheme in the world,” Dee stated. 

On April 7, 2023, Lucy Dee and her daughters Maia, 20, and Rina, 15, were driving to Tiberias. Their vehicle was rammed off the road by terrorist gunmen, who shot all three women. Maia and Rina were killed on the scene, and Lucy passed away from her wounds two days later.

"On Passover a year and a half ago, my wife Lucy and my daughters Rina and Maia were murdered by despicable terrorists. Since then our lives have changed beyond recognition," said Rabbi Dee. "It is unbelievable that to this day, the Palestinian Authority pays rewards to the families of the terrorists in support of the perpetrators of the damned attack." 

Dee stated, "this lawsuit is our attempt to do some justice on behalf of Lucy, Maia, and Rina. The lawsuit does nothing to heal our pain or sorrow, but we continue to fight evil wherever he is. We are working at the legal level and hope to be able to damage the rewards and incentives that the terrorists have been receiving from the Palestinian Authority for decades as much as possible."

Compensation for Victims of Hostile Action Act

The lawsuit in the Jerusalem District Court was filed through the lawyers of the Shurat Hadin advocacy group organization in accordance with the recent Compensation for Victims of Hostile Action Act.

The law enables victims of terrorism and their families to demand exemplary damages from those who give wages or compensation for the organizing of acts of terrorism.

"This lawsuit joins a series of lawsuits that we are conducting these days against the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist organizations that it finances, but this time, in light of the new compensation law, we estimate that these will give some peace of mind to the victims of terrorism this time, in light of the amount of funds that will be taken," said Shurat Hadin's president, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who represents the Dee family.

"This is the time for the victims of terrorism to fight back with all their strength and bring about the economic collapse of the terrorist organizations."