On Tuesday, the US Senate unanimously passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) that would clarify existing US law to allow victims of terrorism sue governments believed to be responsible for facilitating the act.
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If the bill passes the House, it would advance to Obama, and Earnet said it was “difficult to imagine” that he would sign it into law.
The Saudi Arabian government has consistently denied any involvement in the attacks, and the country – a key us ally – has threatened to withdraw billions from the USA economy if the bill passes.
JASTA amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) so that foreign sponsors of terrorism can not invoke “sovereign immunity” in cases arising from a terrorist attack that kills someone on American soil.
The bill would provide an exception to the existing laws if foreign countries are proved to have had involvement in terror attacks that kill U.S. citizens on home soil.
Past year an inmate in USA custody, Zacarias Moussaoui, claimed that a Saudi prince had helped finance the attack that flew passenger planes into the World Trade Center in NY and the Pentagon in Virginia.
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of NY, a co-sponsor, said the bill is overdue and that, because it only applies to attacks on U.S. soil, does not risk lawsuits against the United States.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also had warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a longstanding yet strained relationship with a critical USA ally in the Middle East.
“It would be insane for President Barack Obama to veto bipartisan legislation that would open U.S. courts to victims of the worst terrorist attack in USA history”, he added.
Senate Republicans and even Democrats went against President Obama’s wishes and passed this legislation.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated Obama’s opposition to the bill on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, pushed back against the reports in Geneva earlier this month while warning that the legislation could impact Saudi investments, according to Reuters.
Why should Saudis be shielded from accountability in American courts when other nations are held liable for terror that they have enabled?
“The fact that a foreign government may have aided and abetted terrorism is infuriating to the families if justice is not done”.
“The concern is related to the fact that sovereign immunity is a principle that is critical to our national security”. Schumer said of the bill, adding it’s imperative for families “to pursue some small measure of justice”.
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“It’s hard to imagine the president signing this legislation”, Earnest said. It still has to be voted on by the House of Representatives.
