An Israeli court ruled Monday that late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died almost 15 years ago, and captive Marwan Barghouti were responsible for 17 anti-Israeli attacks committed by Palestinians during the second Intifada.
The ruling by the Jerusalem District Court came in response to a complaint filed on behalf of victims demanding one billion shekels (250 million euros, $280 million) in compensation, according to a justice ministry statement.
The amount is to be decided by the court at a later date, it said.
"This is one of the steps towards achieving justice for the victims and their families," said lawyer Nitzana Darshan-Leitner of Israeli NGO Shurat Hadin, which represented the victims.
The second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, lasted from 2000 to 2005.
The court said that although some of the 17 attacks were carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian Authority should also be held responsible.
Shurat Hadin presented documents to the court that Arafat owned a property in east Jerusalem, so the court decided to confiscate it and put it up for sale as part of the compensation it asked for the victims' families.
