Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas introduced the LIABLE Act, which would allow American victims of terrorism to sue international organizations that provide material support—such as funding or resources—to terrorist groups responsible for attacks against Americans.
Currently, international organizations are immune from lawsuits due to the International Organization Immunity Act (IOIA). Cruz’s proposed legislation, the Limiting Immunity for Assisting Backers of Lethal Extremism Act, would remove such immunity from international organizations that provide resources to terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
One such organization, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), is a prime focus of the proposed legislation due to allegations that it directed funds to support Hamas.
“The United Nations Relief and Works Agency officials have for decades knowingly provided support to Hamas terrorists, including salaries and materials,” Cruz said in a press release on Tuesday.
He added that such support “facilitated Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7th, which was the worst one-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and included the murder and kidnapping of dozens of Americans. Those victims and their families deserve the ability to hold UNRWA accountable, and the LIABLE Act would give them that opportunity.”
Fox News reported that in August 2024, UNRWA “fired nine workers who were allegedly involved in the attacks that left 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage” during the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel.
Previously, under the Biden administration, UNRWA received hundreds of millions of dollars that were purportedly sent to the Hamas-controlled area of the Gaza Strip. Such activity would typically be seen as giving material support to terrorism. Still, the Biden administration “granted waivers among other legislative measures to circumvent the law and enable UNRWA to support Hamas.”
The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Budd (R-NC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
