Lawyer Who Lost Family in Sbarro Attack Fights for Terror Victims' Justice
Twenty-five years after losing his parents and three siblings in the Sbarro restaurant bombing, attorney Meir Sahar-Chorvorder is channeling his personal tragedy into a decades-long legal and legislative battle against the Palestinian Authority. Sahar-Chorvorder, who lost his parents Mordechai and Tzipi, and siblings Re'ut, Hamutal, and Avraham Yitzhak in the 1997 Jerusalem attack, describes his experience not just as a bereaved family member but as a survivor, emphasizing the profound and lasting impact of losing his entire immediate family.
Driven by a desire to see those responsible for terror held accountable, Sahar-Chorvorder pursued a legal strategy against the Palestinian Authority, arguing for its direct and indirect responsibility for attacks during the Second Intifada. After over two decades of gathering evidence, he achieved a significant legal precedent in the Supreme Court. The court affirmed the principle that the Palestinian Authority's salary payments to terrorists and their families could create legal liability, a ruling Sahar-Chorvorder called a "legal earthquake."
His fight then shifted to the Knesset, aiming to change legislation that forced terror victims to choose between national insurance benefits and compensation awarded against perpetrators. He credits a cross-party group of lawmakers, including Sharren Haskel, Yisrael Eichler, Yitzhak Pindrus, Merav Ben Ari, Yuli Edelstein, and Boaz Bismuth, for their cooperation in advancing this legislation despite governmental opposition.
Sahar-Chorvorder also highlighted the crucial role of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who he states was the first finance minister to authorize the release of frozen Palestinian Authority funds for compensation. This decision, he noted, has resulted in over two billion shekels being distributed to terror victims' families this year alone, calling it "justice being done."
Looking ahead, Sahar-Chorvorder is now focused on addressing the needs of victims from the October 7th Hamas-led attacks. He argues that current legislation is insufficient for these complex cases and is advocating for the use of billions of shekels in frozen Palestinian Authority funds designated for Gaza to compensate these victims, stating, "This money is already in the hands of the State of Israel. It must be used for the victims."
