Judge dismisses $1B UNRWA lawsuit after DOJ reverses immunity position

A federal judge dismissed a $1 billion lawsuit against UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, brought by victims of the October 7 Hamas attack, ruling that the UN agency retains sovereign immunity under the UN Charter and U.S. law. The Trump DOJ had reversed the Biden administration's position and argued UNRWA should not receive immunity, but the court rejected the government's switch as insufficient to override established immunity doctrine. The ruling highlighted how executive branch reversals cannot unilaterally change settled immunity law.