5/28/2024–|Last updated: 5/28/202411:50 PM (Mecca time)
An Egyptian soldier was killed in an exchange of fire near… Rafah crossingto exacerbate the tensions that had hurt Relations between Egypt and Israel since the start of the war in Gaza strip On October 7 last.
Below are some questions and answers related to the nature and future of the relations between them, and the framework that governs those relations.
How deep are the relationships?
After Egypt fought wars against Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, it became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty and establish relations with it in 1979.
The treaty resulted in what is often described as a “cold peace,” under which economic, cultural, and people-to-people relations remained limited and marred by a lack of trust.
However, cooperation has been significant in the area of energy and security, and has increased under the president Abdel Fattah Sisi. Egypt began importing Israeli gas in 2020, and Cairo hosts it Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum AFor the Mediterranean, of which Israel is a member.
Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza, while Egypt has tightened border procedures since 2007, when the Strip came under the rule of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
What caused the recent tensions?
Egypt is concerned about the Israeli military attack on Gaza and the possibility that this will lead to a mass Palestinian exodus to Sinai peninsula Egyptian, an idea proposed by some Israeli politicians and opposed by countries Strongly Arabic.
Egyptian officials and state-linked media use increasingly harsh language to criticize the Israeli war on Gaza.
Cairo warned in particular against launching a large-scale military operation near the Egyptian border in Rafah, where many Gazans have taken refuge to escape the violent Israeli bombing of other areas of the Strip.
When Israel intensified its operations near Rafah in early May and took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing, humanitarian aid deliveries stopped amidst an exchange of accusations between Egypt and Israel of responsibility for that. Egypt says that Palestinian management of the crossing must be restored.
Israel angered Egypt when it indicated that Hamas was using tunnels extending under the border with Sinai to smuggle weapons. An Israeli envoy at the International Court of Justice said this month that about 50 such tunnels had been identified in Rafah.
Egypt says it destroyed tunnel networks leading to Gaza years ago and established a buffer zone and border fortifications to prevent smuggling.
What’s at stake?
What is most urgent now is for humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, where segments of the population face extreme hunger and a severe lack of health care.
Although some aid is brought in via alternative routes, including a naval pier established by the United States, most international aid reaches Sinai and is directed through Rafah.
Sisi and US President Joe Biden agreed late last week to resume aid through the nearby Israeli Kerem Shalom crossing. Deliveries have resumed through this route, but it is unclear to what extent they can be expanded.
Egypt also participates in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with the aim of agreeing on an interim truce and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The talks faltered with Israel’s entry into Rafah. Egypt threatened to withdraw from the mediation after the American CNN network reported from undisclosed sources that Egyptian intelligence was responsible for thwarting the agreement. Egyptian sources later said that Egypt remains committed to the negotiations.
Regional stability may ultimately be at risk if relations between Egypt and Israel deteriorate. But while Egypt warned that the peace treaty with Israel might be undermined by the events in Gaza, it said it… While it will join South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, it has not done the same as the Kingdom of Jordan, which withdrew its ambassador from Israel, or taken other official steps.
Why do Egypt and Israel protect relations?
Both countries have an interest in keeping channels open as they try to manage the fallout from the war in Gaza as well as internal and international pressures.
For Egypt, the peace treaty has been a cornerstone of foreign policy for decades, bringing in $1.3 billion in military aid annually from the United States.
On the other hand, aim Israel needs to establish relations with the Arab world instead of diminishing existing relations.
The two countries will also be central to post-war plans in Gaza, and will have to reach an arrangement to manage security along the Egypt-Gaza border, including the Rafah crossing and a buffer zone known as the corridor. Philadelphia.