WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted to override Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allowing Americans to sue foreign governments believed to be sponsors of terrorism.
"The recently released 28 pages of the 9/11 report show that some elements in the Saudi government may have assisted the 9/11 hijackers," White Rose journal editor and conflict analyst Paul Gottinger said on Thursday. "A potential lawsuit by US victims of 9/11 could uncover more evidence of this."
"Obama's doomsday-style warnings about the danger of the veto override hinges on the idea that US personal could be exposed to similar lawsuits," Gottinger said.
However, the bill could establish other precedents allowing plaintiffs to sue the US government as well, he said.
"I see this as a positive development. It could allow victims of US terror, particularly US drone victims, an avenue to pursue some form of justice," Gottinger stated.
Gottinger pointed out that increased scrutiny within the United States of the Saudi role in supporting the Daesh, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups was long overdue.
"Saudi Arabia has long supported jihadists in the Middle East and Saudi's strict Wahhabi ideology has significantly poisoned Sunni Islam. There is a notable similarity between what the Islamic State [Daesh] teaches in its schools and what one finds in Saudi textbooks."
The Obama administration had also turned a blind eye to the Saudi role in funding extreme Islamists in Syria, Gottinger noted.
"Support from wealthy Saudi donors to radical Islamic jihadists operating in Syria is an open secret. There is also likely Saudi government support for some of these groups. Saudi support is only furthering extremism."
In Yemen, there have been reports that Saudi troops worked directly alongside al-Qaeda in battles against Houthi rebels, Gottinger added.
However, Ohio State University Professor Emeritus of International Law John Quigley cautioned that the proposed legislation could disrupt the workings of international law.
"This bill erodes the concept of sovereign immunity, under which courts of one state are not supposed to judge the acts of another state."
Nor did the bill contain any provision for ensuring that any state found guilty in US law courts would have to pay whatever financial penalty was imposed upon it by any American judge or jury, Quigley pointed out.
"It is in one sense a useless bill, because even if a money judgment is given against a state, there is typically no way to compel a state to make payment."
On September 11, 2001, almost 3,000 people were killed in terror attacks on New York and Washington, DC carried out by al-Qaeda. Families of the victims have long stated they want to take legal action against Saudi Arabia for its role in the attacks.
