Egypt threatens to void landmark peace treaty with Israel

• Egypt has threatened to revoke its decades-old peace treaty with Israel if Israel launches a major attack on Rafah.
• About 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering in crowded tent camps in Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
• If the treaty were invalidated, it could have serious implications for Israel, which has relied on stability along its southern border.

It was a warm handshake between the unlikeliest of politicians, under the glowing gaze of President Jimmy Carter. Sunshine shines through the trees at Camp David, Maryland, as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin seal a landmark agreement that makes more than 40 years of peace between Israel and Egypt possible. .

It has served as an important source of stability in unstable regions.

This peace was maintained through two Palestinian uprisings and a series of wars between Israel and Hamas. But now Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to send Israeli troops to Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, and the Egyptian government is threatening to void the deal.

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Let’s take a look at the history of treaties and what happens when they become invalid.

How did the treaty come about?

It was 1977, and Begin, Israel’s new prime minister, had opposed the transfer of land conquered by Israel a decade earlier in the 1967 Middle East war. Those lands included Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Egypt and Israel have fought four major wars, most recently in 1973. Therefore, it shocked the world when Egypt’s Sadat broke with other Arab leaders and decided to go to war with Israel.

The talks culminated in the Camp David Accords in September 1978 and a peace treaty the following year.

Under the peace treaty, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, leaving Egypt as a demilitarized zone. Israeli ships were allowed to pass through the Suez Canal, an important trade route. The two countries established full diplomatic relations in the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab country.

“The Camp David Accords were led by three brave men who took a bold stand because they knew it would have a lasting impact on peace and security, both then and in the future. Today, we have the same We need the kind of leadership that is currently lacking,” said Paige Alexander, chief executive of the Carter Center.

What is Egypt’s current position?

Two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat told The Associated Press on Sunday that Egypt could suspend the peace deal if Israeli forces invade Rafah.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Rafah was Hamas’ last remaining stronghold after more than four months of war and that ground forces were essential to defeating the group.

But Egypt opposes any measures that might force desperate Palestinians across the border into Egyptian territory. Rafah also serves as the main entry point for humanitarian aid to the besieged region, and an Israeli attack could disrupt the delivery of key supplies.

Rafah’s population has increased from 280,000 to an estimated 1.4 million as Palestinians flee fighting elsewhere in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of evacuees are living in vast tent camps.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to draw up a plan to evacuate all Palestinian civilians before launching the attack. However, it is unclear where they will go.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that they would be able to return to open areas further north. However, these areas have suffered significant damage from Israeli attacks.

What happens if the treaty becomes invalid?

The treaty significantly limits the number of troops stationed on either side of the border, but both countries have agreed in the past to amend that agreement in response to specific security threats. This allowed Israel to focus its forces on other threats.

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In addition to the war in Gaza, Israel has near-daily skirmishes with the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and has a large security force presence in the occupied West Bank.

If Egypt repeals the deal, it could mean Israel can no longer rely on its southern border as an oasis of peace. There is no doubt that building up troops along the border with Egypt will help counter the already thin Israeli military.

But it will also have serious implications for Egypt. Egypt has received billions of dollars in military aid from the United States since the peace agreement.

If the agreement is invalidated, funding could be in jeopardy. A major military buildup would also strain Egypt’s already struggling economy.

Alexander said any steps that could draw Egypt into hostilities “would be disastrous for the entire region.”