(JNS) While Israelis are arguably the population most targeted by terrorism, supporters of a new Knesset bill say the country lags behind when it comes to providing legal avenues for victims to pursue financial damages, with current law actually placing obstacles before those wishing to file such claims.

Titled “Compensation for Terror Victims,” the legislation calls for removing those barriers that prevent civil tort claims against terrorists, including the Palestinian Authority.

The main impediment facing terrorism victims in Israel is the low compensation that courts award in tort cases. Courts also deduct from the compensation money that victims receive from the state. In many cases, courts refrain from imposing punitive damages altogether.

“The low amount of compensation that the courts award the victims is therefore not worth the trouble, cost and aggravation involved in filing a tort claim, thus creating a negative incentive to file claims,” the bill states in its explanatory section.

The bill calls for courts to be “required to award exemplary damages” by establishing a minimum compensation of at least 10 million shekels (~$2.8 million). To ease the collection of the awards, judgments may, if the bill becomes law, be enforced against “any property of the defendant, including any property seized or frozen by the State of Israel.”