Are Palestinian terrorists immune from extradition?

New Jersey Jewish News ^ | 12/04/2014 | Stephen M. Flatow

[aimhigh]

It is one of the great mysteries of American foreign policy that while terrorists from around the world are routinely extradited to the U.S. to be prosecuted for attacks on Americans, there is one class of killers that seems to be immune from extradition: Palestinians.

More than 100 Americans have been murdered by Palestinian terrorist attacks, mostly in Israel but sometimes in other countries, in the last several decades. Yet not a single Palestinian terrorist involved in those attacks has ever been brought to trial in the U.S.

Not one.

[aimhigh]

The article gives the legal excuses used to exempt them.

[Farmer Dean]

Palestinian terrorists should not be extradited,they should be shot in place.(Don’t bring this trash to our shores for ANY reason)

[Alberta's Child]

I think the author overlooks an important point. In a typical extradition case, the U.S. is seeking to apprehend someone who committed a crime here in the U.S. and then fled to another country. I'd be curious to know if the legal process is different for a crime that involves a foreign perpetrator and a U.S. citizen, but occurs somewhere in another country that has its own criminal code.

Secondly, the author should have touched on one great irony involving Palestinian terrorists and U.S. victims. If a Palestinian terrorist kills a bunch of Americans in Israel, he may never be extradited to the U.S. because Israel does not extradite Israeli nationals to the U.S.

[Carriage Hill]

Don’t extradite; just kill them.

[faithhopecharity]

Obama is funding and protecting the terrorists So what makes anyone think they’ll be prosecuted in USA for murdering people? That’s the plan to kill as many as possible.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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The author may be aiming at the wrong target. To be extradited, first you have to catch the perp. And in most cases, second, there usually must be a refusal to prosecute, or no local crime committed. In the case of murder, if Israel apprehends a terrorist, he goes through the justice system and is imprisoned if guilty. Then later released in an exchange usually encouraged by the US. THAT would be the time to request extradidion for prosecution in the US. A better question is why the US does little to investigate murders in the region as we do elsewhere, or offer rewards as we do elsewhere.

[SJackson]

Secondly, the author should have touched on one great irony involving Palestinian terrorists and U.S. victims. If a Palestinian terrorist kills a bunch of Americans in Israel, he may never be extradited to the U.S. because Israel does not extradite Israeli nationals to the U.S.

Israel extradites citizens to the US. I think you're confusing the death penalty issue. Israel, like dozens of non death penalty nations, will not extradite unless it's taken off the table, which prosecutors here are reluctant to do. And crimes committed in Israel are prosecuted in Israel.