Egypt says Israel peace treaty may fall apart due to Gaza war
Egypt has warned that its peace treaty with Israel is at risk of falling apart due to Israel’s ongoing genocidal military campaign in Gaza, according to Middle East Monitor on September 24th.
Egypt’s ambassador to the UN, Osama Abdel Khalek, stated at the UN Security Council session on September 23rd that Israel’s military activity endangers the peace that has been sustained for almost half a century. He also warned that the peace treaty’s collapse could lead to extreme consequences for the entire region.
Khalek articulated that Israel’s intentions are no longer hidden behind the humanitarian rhetoric of self-defence and a campaign to rescue the remaining hostages. He said that official Israeli statements and actions illustrate a plan to grind down the Palestinian presence in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The ambassador also alleged that Israel is trying to ethnically cleanse Gaza’s population through the military campaign, starvation, and the destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure.
He described Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in Gaza City, which Israeli forces reportedly now control 40% of, as a “malicious plan” to displace Palestinians, which Egypt firmly opposes alongside any of its consequences.
In an interview with CNN published on August 18th, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned that any such efforts by Israel would cross a “red line”, and that “we will not accept it, we will not participate in it, and we will not allow it to happen.”
Khalek reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to Gaza mediation efforts to push for a permanent ceasefire, together with the US and Qatar. He also announced Egypt’s plans to host an international conference focused on the reconstruction of Gaza’s devastated infrastructure.
Condemnation of Israel by high profile Egyptian state officials has become increasingly bellicose recently, inflaming concerns that a direct military confrontation between the two countries is imminent.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi referred to Israel as “the enemy” in his address in Qatar’s Arab-Islamic summit. The head of Egypt’s State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, stated that “the last time the word ‘enemy’ was used by Egypt’s top official, or by any state official, was before the peace treaty in 1977.”
Sisi also issued a warning to the Israeli public that their government’s policies “erode opportunities for any new peace agreements and even aborts existing peace accords”, according to a comment piece in Chatham House published on September 17th.
Middle East Monitor, The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, CNN, Maghrebi.org, Chatham House
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