A New York judge has concluded that he has jurisdiction to preside over litigation resulting from a lawsuit filed against the Palestine Liberation Organization by victims of bombings in Israel.

Federal Judge George Daniels in Manhattan said in a written order that the PLO had offices in Washington and New York during a three-year period when the bombings occurred.

He said that creates enough of a connection to the United States to allow the lawsuit to proceed here. The ruling came in a 2004 lawsuit that seeks up to $3 billion in damages as a result of attacks between January 2001 and February 2004.

The Jerusalem-area attacks killed 33 people and wounded hundreds, including scores of US citizens