U.S. Code » Title 22 » Chapter CHAPTER 61— ANTI-TERRORISM—PLO

22 U.S.C. § 5201

Findings; determinations

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(a) FindingsThe Congress finds that—(1) Middle East terrorism accounted for 60 percent of total international terrorism in 1985;(2) the Palestine Liberation Organization (hereafter in this chapter referred to as the “PLO”) was directly responsible for the murder of an American citizen on the Achille Lauro cruise liner in 1985, and a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee is under indictment in the United States for the murder of that American citizen;(3) the head of the PLO has been implicated in the murder of a United States Ambassador overseas;(4) the PLO and its constituent groups have taken credit for, and been implicated in, the murders of dozens of American citizens abroad;(5) the PLO covenant specifically states that “armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine, thus it is an overall strategy, not merely a tactical phase”;(6) the PLO rededicated itself to the “continuing struggle in all its armed forms” at the Palestine National Council meeting in April 1987; and(7) the Attorney General has stated that “various elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its allies and affiliates are in the thick of international terror”.(b) Determinations

Therefore, the Congress determines that the PLO and its affiliates are a terrorist organization and a threat to the interests of the United States, its allies, and to international law and should not benefit from operating in the United States.

(Pub. L. 100–204, title X, § 1002, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1406.)Statutory Notes and Related SubsidiariesEffective Date and Termination

Pub. L. 100–204, title X, § 1005, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1407, provided that:“(a)Effective Date.—Provisions of this title [enacting this chapter] shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 1987].“(b)Termination.—The provisions of this title shall cease to have effect if the President certifies in writing to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House that the Palestine Liberation Organization, its agents, or constituent groups thereof no longer practice or support terrorist actions anywhere in the world.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 100–204, title X, § 1001, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1406, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987’.”

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1988–2025 · leading case: Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Org., 82 F.4th 74 (2d Cir. 2023).
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Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Org., 82 F.4th 74 (2d Cir. 2023). · cites it 2× “C. § 5201 (b), and prohibiting various activities related to the PLO, including “expend[ing] [PLO] funds,” id.”
Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Org., 606 U.S. 1 (2025). “1406 , 22 U. S. C. §5201 et seq., Congress found that the PLO and its constituent groups “ha[d] taken credit for, and been implicated in, the murders of dozens of American citizens abroad.”
United States v. Palestine Liberation Org., 695 F. Supp. 1456 (S.D.N.Y. 1988). · cites it 2× “” 22 U.S.C. § 5201 (b). The ATA was added, without committee hearings, 13 as a rider to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988-89, which provided funds for the operation of the State Department, including the operation of the United States Mission to the…”
Mendelsohn v. Meese, 695 F. Supp. 1474 (S.D.N.Y. 1988). · cites it 4× “” 22 U.S.C. § 5201 (b). The ATA, on its face, seriously curbs the operations of the PLO in the United States.”
Knox v. Palestine Liberation Org., 306 F. Supp. 2d 424 (S.D.N.Y. 2004). “Moreover, under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987, Congress “determine[d] that the PLO and its affiliates are a terrorist organization and a threat to the interests of the United States, its allies, and to international law,” See 22 U.S.C. §§ 5201 (b), 5202. It remains presently…”
Estates of Ungar Ex Rel. Estates Strachman v. Palestinian Auth., 315 F. Supp. 2d 164 (D.R.I. 2004). “The United States has been clear that the PLO and its affiliates are a terrorist organization and a threat to the interests of the United States, its allies, and international law.”
Rafeedie v. Immigr. & Naturalization Serv., 688 F. Supp. 729 (D.D.C. 1988). “Under defendants’ theory, the PLO exception should be read broadly to encompass all members of groups affiliated with the PLO, including the PFLP. The only support for defendants’ expansive interpretation is that elsewhere in amending the Foreign Relations Authorization Act,…”
Mendelsohn v. Meese, 686 F. Supp. 75 (S.D.N.Y. 1988). “22 U.S.C.A. § 5201 (b) (West Supp. 1988).”
Application of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 to Diplomatic Visit of Palestinian Delegation (OLC 2022). · cites it 3× “1331 , 1406, codified at 22 U.S.C. §§ 5201–5203, to expendi- tures that PLO representatives might make while they would be in the United States for the planned diplomatic engagements.”
Statutory Restrictions on the PLO's Washington Off. (OLC 2018). · cites it 2× “” 22 U.S.C. § 5201 (b). Section 1003 of the Act provides in full: It shall be unlawful, if the purpose be to further the interests of the [PLO] or any of its constituent groups, any successor to any of those, or any agents thereof, on or after the effective date of this chapter—…”
Alafyouny v. Gonzales, 187 F. App'x 389 (5th Cir. 2006). “See 22 U.S.C. § 5201 . A 1992 state department report *392 indicated that the PLO had been a terrorist organization since the early 1970’s.”
— 22 U.S.C. § 5201(b) — 1 case
Mendelsohn v. Meese, 695 F. Supp. 1474 (S.D.N.Y. 1988). “” 22 U.S.C. § 5201 (b). The ATA, on its face, seriously curbs the operations of the PLO in the United States.”
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