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What Lies Behind Egypt's Violations of the Peace Agreement with Israel?

(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - Egypt's violations of the peace agreement with Israel are causing significant alarm within both political and security circles in Israel. Egypt has expanded military airfields in Sinai, constructed new bunkers and anti-tank obstacles, and established new ammunition and fuel depots. Additionally, seven tunnels have been built under the Suez Canal. While Israel permitted some of these violations to assist the Egyptian military's fight against ISIS affiliates in Sinai, which have now been eliminated, security officials emphasize that Israel always granted such approvals retroactively to avoid diplomatic confrontations with Egypt. Nevertheless, according to their assessments, Egypt maintains four times more military forces in Sinai than permitted under the peace treaty. Since assuming power in 2014, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been modernizing Egypt's military forces - investing heavily with the assistance of U.S. military aid, which amounts to $1.5 billion annually. The Egyptian military continues to conduct exercises simulating combat scenarios against Israel. Nevertheless, senior Israeli security officials assess that el-Sisi currently has no interest in waging war against Israel or violating the peace treaty. However, they do not rule out the possibility that, in an extreme scenario, el-Sisi could deploy large military forces into Sinai to threaten Israel. Egypt has accustomed Israel in recent years to treaty violations in Sinai, and this must stop.
2025-02-25 00:00:00
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