Draft:Exodus lawsuits

Exodus lawsuits refer to planned or threatened lawsuits by Egyptian scholars and journalists aimed at receiving compensation for damages incurred by Egypt as a result of the Exodus. The biblical Book of Exodus recounts the plagues brought upon Egypt in order to pressure Pharaoh to release the Israelites from captivity which caused considerable damage, as well as the taking of the Egyptians' gold and silver by the fleeing Israelites.

Historical texts attest to this being a contentious issue between Jewish community and the Egyptian community dating back to the time of Alexander the Great. In modern times, it has led several Egyptian figures to demand that either the state of Israel or "The Jews", in general, pay reparations to Egypt for the damages caused by the plagues or the stolen gold, or both.

The lawsuits have been generally viewed as legally frivolous. If treated seriously, they would potentially expose those bringing the suit to counterclaims of reparations for the slavery endured by the Israelites.

Historical context
Claims against the Jews for the taking of Exodus gold are referenced in several historical texts. Megillat Taanit mentions Egyptians who presented the claim to Alexander of Macedon who was viewed as an impartial arbiter of disputes among peoples in the territory under his control. The claim is also mentioned in Marcus Junianus Justinus’ Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus and Benno Jacob writes that these accusations are evident from responses to them in both Second Temple Pseudepigrapha and Philo.

The claims were notable enough that the Talmud provides a response to them, attributed to Gebiha ben Pesisa, who notes that the Hebrews endured centuries of enslavement, resulting in incalculable debt incurred by Egypt for their free labor, and implying that the gold and silver taken should be considered as less than adequate reparations for this debt. Philo also adopts this response, and views the taking as a form of mild retribution, and less than the Egyptians owed. He adds that when viewed in the context of war, taking such goods as war booty is legal.

Nabil Hilmi lawsuit
In 2003, Nabil Hilmi, the dean of Zagazig University's law school, announced a planned lawsuit against “all of the Jews in the world” to demand reparations for stolen gold. By his calculations, the fleeing Israelites took 300 tons of gold, whose value doubles every 20 years over 3300 years, and the amount owed should also include compound interest calculated at 5% annually over 5758 years. Given the astronomical sum that these “1,125 trillion tons of gold" represent, Hilmi said repayment could be made over 1000 years.

Hilmi said that he had worked with Gamil Yaken, the vice president of the Egyptian community in Switzerland, to put together a legal team to prepare the lawsuit. While most people viewed the lawsuit as either a joke or antisemitic propaganda, Hilmi insisted he was serious in pursuing it, and according to one source, a suit was actually filed in Swiss courts.

Reactions
In response, Alan Dershowitz said that if the suit ever made it to court, he would be happy to represent the Jewish side. While noting there was no chance the lawsuit would be heard in any court, Dershowitz said that if it did ever happen, it would invite a countersuit from the Jews for reparations for their enslavement in Egypt, which could add up to trillions of dollars and also expose Egypt to lawsuits over its oppressive slavery.

Gabriel Sivan, the chairman of the Jewish Bible Association wrote that the lawsuit is "absurd", but if taken seriously, it would expose Hilmi and his backers to a massive countersuit that would involve compensation for slave labor of 600,000 Israelites working seven days a week for 430 years.

Calling the suit "ridiculous, laughable and absolute rubbish", Beliefnet columnist Hesham Hassaballa pointed out that according to the Book of Exodus, the Israelites were operating under direct instructions from God, so the lawsuit would make God an unindicted co-conspirator.

In a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the planned lawsuit, The Irish Independent noted that "Tracing the evidence at this distance in time may be problematic. The Exodus happened several thousand years ago, and just to complicate matters, the number of potential suspects, totals about 600,000."

Ammar Ali Hassan
In 2014, political scientist Ammar Ali Hassan repeated the demand for repayment for stolen gold in an interview for Egypt's Channel 1 TV station.

Plague reparations
In 2014, Ahmad al-Gamal, a columnist for the Egyptian daily Al-Yawm Al-Sabi, suggested that the government of Egypt sue Israel in international courts for the damage caused by the 10 plagues. He also demanded reparations from Turkey for damage caused by the Ottoman Empire during its invasion of Egypt in the 16th century, from France for Napoleon’s invasion in 1798, and from Britain for its 72 years of occupation.

Al-Gamal won a "silver medal" in the first international edition of the humorous "Moron of the Month" award for "woeful decision-making", presented by the Herald-Whig.