Hilton sued over Taba terror attack

Some 100 Israelis wounded in a 2004 terror attack in the Taba Hilton Hotel in Sinai have filed a legal suit against the global Hilton chain, claiming that the victims must be paid NIS 70 million (about $18.5 million) in compensation as the hotel workers' negligence allowed a car bomb to explode at the entrance to the building, killing 33 people.

The plaintiffs, represented by Attorneys Moshe Zingel and Amikam Harlap, claim that at the time of the attack Israel had received many warnings of terror attacks in Sinai, and especially in Taba, and that the Foreign Ministry had warned Israelis not to travel to Sinai for fear that they would be targeted by terror organizations.

Nonetheless, the lawsuit says, the hotel – located near the Israel-Egypt border – failed to take any precautions, was neglectful in guarding its guests, did not station a guard at the entrance to the hotel and on the road leading to the building and did not take any measures which could have prevented the car bomb from reaching the hotel's lobby and exploding, causing heavy damage.

"Hilton's aura hovered as usual in all of the chain's hotels and in this hotel as well, but nonetheless, such a veteran and experienced management ignored even the most basic security and safety arrangements, required from a hotel located in such a sensitive area, near the borders of three Muslim countries and one Jewish state, whose relations have never gone beyond an armistice, with the hostility between the countries on the background," the lawsuit claims.

According to the plaintiffs, security officers and guards had been stationed at the hotel before the attack, but not one of them was present that day. The lawsuit also describes intensive discussions between the legal firm that filed the suit and the Hilton chain's legal department, which began immediately after the attack.

A major lawsuit was filed in 2006 against the Hilton chain in the United States, but an American court ruled that the claims should be discussed either in Israel or in Egypt.

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau has been warning Israelis in recent years against terror organizations' attempts to kidnap them and smuggle them into the Gaza Strip. The Bureau defines the warning as "serious and immediate," strongly calling on all Israelis to "leave Sinai immediately and refrain from any visit to Egypt."

According to the Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Hezbollah's involvement in this terrorist activity only increases its seriousness.