Washington – A federal judge is ordering Iran to pay $25 million plus interest to the family of an Israeli soldier kidnapped and executed by Hamas in 1994.
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Nachshon Wachsman was a 19-year-old U.S. citizen and corporal in the Israeli Defense Forces when he was taken by four members of Hamas. His abduction damaged Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations at the time, as he pleaded on videotape for his life.
Wachsman’s mother and six brothers sued Iran and its ministry of information and security, saying Tehran was responsible for the death because it provided training and support to Hamas.
Iran has refused to respond to the lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina issued the ruling in favor of the family today.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina awarded $5 million to Wachsman’s mother and $2.5 million to each brother for their emotional distress, and $5 million to Wachsman’s estate for his potential lost earnings and the pain and suffering he endured for six days while he was held hostage before being executed. The court also ruled that Iran should pay 6 percent annual interest from the date of Wachsman’s murder nearly 15 years ago.
It’s unclear if the family will get any of the money, said Michael Jacobson, a former senior adviser in the Treasury Department’s office of terrorism and financial intelligence.
“It’s been historically pretty difficult to collect against those types of cases,” said Jacobson, now a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. But he noted that the courts could seize any assets of Iranian entities in the United States to help pay a judgment.
Wachsman was abducted by four members of Hamas on October 9, 1994, as he waited on the side of a public street near the central Israeli city of Lod for a ride to visit a friend. The kidnappers wore black hats and yarmulkes as disguises that allowed them to lure Wachsman into their rented van, which had Israeli license plates.
The abductors blindfolded and bound Wachsman, then took him to a safe house in Bir Nabala, an Arab village just north of Jerusalem, where they videotaped him with his identification card and Israeli army-issued M-16 rifle. They demanded the release of the jailed Hamas leader and 200 other Muslim fundamentalist prisoners by Oct. 14, 1994, in exchange for Wachsman’s life.
On video, Wachsman urged Israel to meet the kidnappers’ demands. “If not, they will kill me,” he said. “I ask you to do all you can so I get out of here alive.”
The kidnapping increased tensions between Israel and Palestine, with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin cutting off peace negotiations and telling Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that he was holding him personally responsible for the soldier’s safe return.
Israeli security forces captured one of the abductors, who told them where Wachsman was being held. An Israeli commando unit raided the safe house shortly before the deadline on Oct. 14, and as they attempted to blow down heavily fortified doors with explosives, the kidnappers shot Wachsman. An Israeli soldier and all three remaining kidnappers were killed in an ensuing fire fight.
The court found that several of the Hamas members instrumental in Wachsman’s abduction and execution either received terrorist training by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard or were related to those who received the training.
“The financial support, tactical training and political direction that Iran provided to Hamas proximately caused the abduction and execution of Nachshon,” Urbina concluded.
Wachsman was born in Jerusalem, but was a citizen of the United States. His mother is a U.S. citizen who moved from New York City to Israel in the late 1960s, and his brothers are all dual citizens of the United States and Israel.
The court says it can issue a ruling against Iran from Washington for several reasons, including that this case involves a hostage taking of a U.S. citizen; that the plaintiffs are U.S. citizens; and that similar conduct by U.S. agents within the United States could be subject to a similar lawsuit.
The Wachsman family details in court filings how they have struggled with his violent and public death, with his mother diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and on medication and one brother having attempted suicide three times in his grief.
The family also presented evidence that Wachsman, six months out of high school at the time of his death, planned to become a doctor one day. That led to a $3 million judgment for his lost earnings alone.
I am happy for them, but try to collect!
Can they ever collect?
It was, and remains a tragedy. I will never forget that time! What was amazing is the achdus in klal yisrael and mitzva observance that was engendered when nachshon was kidnapped. his family pleaded with people to do mitzvos as a zechus for Nachshon. Women lit shabbos candles and many otherwise non-frum people did mitzvos. It is sad that we only unite in the wake of a tragedy.
May HKB”H Send the geulah in this chodesh of geula!
I don’t understand why they don’t file the lawsuit in Israel, The government is holding
hundreds of millions of dollars of Iranian money, Iran is a 50% partner in the Eilat
Ashkelon pipeline, Iran didn’t get a penny since 1979
theyll never pay. who s gonna make them.
Let them collect from the “FOREIGN – AID” That we so generousley send those reshoim. Let the US Govt pay the Wachsman family instead of sending it to Iran.
This article doesn’t tell you that Nachshon was tortured before he was murdered.
Milhouse is right…the law does not allow the money to be released…the judge must follow the statute, even when the outcome is immoral
Next time Amadijidad comes to the US Take his plain. Do they have cars for diplomats? Get the warrent ready.
i remember mrs wachsman saying that Hashen always anwers our tefilos and this time the answer was no.moshiach should come and she’ll be reunited with nachshon-OY!!!
The US court ruling is not woth a fig in Iran or other places . Because the US has taken over , illegally assets of IRAN , you have a problem . US courts ruling are only valid in the US , and the US courts should stop thinking that the US is the ruler of the World ,it is not .
I hope the US economy goes down the shute ASAP so your moronic courts will stop behaving in such childish way . I hope Iran tells your court to stick UP Y>>>
This has got to be one sick american joke.
Strange!
##$$ No US, Israeli or EU court shall ever award trillions of $$ albiet even a single $ (as token) against Racist Zionist Regime for hundreds of thousands of Goyems killed and Infrastructure damaged in Palestine, Lebanon etc..
The judge must be a jew or neo-nazi or apptd by elder (thorny) Bush.