Tensions between Israel and Egypt pose threat of open enmity
Tensions between Israel and Egypt have raised concerns over fears they are reaching a point of open enmity, placing two western allies in direct confrontation.
According to The National on April 21st, relations between the two countries are at an all-time low, with distrust fueled by the proposals for Palestinian resettlement in the Sinai Peninsula, an area between Israel and Egypt.
In retaliation to the worsening climate in the region, Egypt has sought to bolster its military might, recently signing a deal for an advanced Chinese-made air defense system as well as establishing what Israel has declared “unauthorized military infrastructure” in the Sinai.
Tensions rose significantly in May 2024 after Israel seized a strip of land running the length of Egypt’s border with Gaza in breach of its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and subsequent accords. Simultaneously, Israel has complained to the United States about Egypt’s increasing military presence on the border with Israel in Sinai with Netanyahu asking the American leader to persuade the Egyptians to pull back from the border.
Egypt’s military expansion thus comes at a time when tensions are at an all-time high with one source saying, “It all comes down to making sure that your potential enemy realises you’re up to the fight if one is unavoidable,” said one of the sources. “It’s a kind of deterrence that should make the enemy think twice before doing something stupid; and that, in turn, can safeguard the peace.”
Egypt has been heavily reliant on US aid since the signing of the Camp David Accords of 1979 and is widely viewed as a cornerstone of Middle Eastern stability, bringing both Israel and Egypt under the wing of the US.
However, the onslaught of Israeli military offensives in the Gaza Strip has seen Egypt become a significant player in regional politics, with Egyptian President El Sisi being a vocal critic of Israeli actions against Palestinians, criticizing the scorch earth tactics and the proposals for Palestinian resettlement in Egypt and neighboring Jordan.
Maghrebi has also recently reported on the phone call between the Egyptian Foreign Minister and his Lebanese and Iranian counterparts warning of the risks of escalating tension in the region as Israel becomes further isolated in a region where the Arab states, along with Iran, are bounding together to oppose Palestinian resettlement.
As Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza and continue military bombardment, with a ceasefire seeming an ambitious goal, the geopolitical tensions should raise eyebrows over a wider military confrontation in the Middle East.
The National, Maghrebi
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