Family of murdered Israeli police officer sues PA for $15.5 million

After losing their son to terror, the Khoury family is demanding justice and $15.5 million in damages from the PA.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News Staff

The family of an Israel Police officer who was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist is suing the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its pay-for-slay policy and support for terror, seeking some 65 million shekels (equivalent to $15.5 million) in damages.

Sergeant Major Amir Khoury, an Arab Christian police officer who held Israeli citizenship, was murdered in March 2022 by a terrorist who had rampaged through the ultra-Orthodox suburb of Bnei Brak.

Some three years after the attack, Khoury’s family is suing the PA for aiding and abetting the terrorist with its pro-terror policies, arguing that the entity is responsible for the officer’s murder.

The case was filed in the Jerusalem District Court last week.

“Unfortunately, nothing has changed [since Khoury’s slaying],” the family’s attorney, Anat Ginsburg, said in a media statement.

“The Palestinian Authority has not only continued to support and encourage terrorism, but also continued to pay monthly salaries to terrorists who have murdered Israelis, along with their families,” Ginsburg said, noting that these policies are “enshrined in Palestinian law.”

Earlier in 2025, Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit affirmed that the PA continues to incentivize terror – despite publicly promising they would walk back their support for terror.

“The Palestinian Authority pays terrorists and members of their families significant amounts of money and benefits, [as a reward for the] criminal acts of terrorism they committed,” Amit said, during a ruling about an Israeli law targeting the PA for these practices.

During the March 2022 attack, a terrorist roamed the streets of Bnei Brak, gunning down two residents of the city and two foreign workers who were originally from Ukraine.

The terrorist was killed in a shoot-out with Khoury and his partner, Amos Bashiri.

Khoury was fatally shot during the gun battle, bringing the death toll from the terror attack to five.

To honor the fallen officer’s heroic actions, the city of Bnei Brak renamed a street after Khoury.

He was posthumously awarded Israel’s Medal of Courage for his sacrifice.

Khoury is survived his parents, a brother, two sisters, and his fiancée, fellow police officer Shani Yashar.