Egypt has issued a warning that it will consider suspending the Camp David peace agreement that was signed between Egypt and Israel many years ago, if Israel proceeds with its ground offensive in southern Gaza.
Egypt’s statement was issued following the initiation of airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday in Rafah, a city near the Egyptian border.
Israel previously designated the city as a safe zone for civilians, with an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians seeking refuge there. The city’s population was approximately 280,000 prior to the start of the war four months ago, and it is currently considered the final stronghold of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said carrying out ground assaults in Rafah is essential to defeating the Palestinian militant group, which raided Israeli villages on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized the necessity of conducting ground operations in Rafah in order to achieve victory over the Palestinian terrorist group that launched terror attacks on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 Israeli civilians and the abduction of hundreds of Israeli hostages by Hamas terrorists.
Egypt has consistently declared that it will not allow a influx of Palestinians seeking refuge into its territory, since the North African country is already already hosting nearly 9 million migrants and refugees as reported by the United Nations officials.
Israel and Egypt have engaged in four significant military conflicts, with the most recent taking place in 1973. In September 1978, both countries entered into the Camp David Accord, leading to a peace agreement the subsequent year. This historic agreement, facilitated by former US President Jimmy Carter, enabled the establishment of complete diplomatic relations between the two nations, marking Israel’s inaugural peace treaty with an Arab country.
On Sunday, two unnamed Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat, also speaking anonymously, said that the Egyptian government could terminate the pact in response to Israeli military action in Rafah.
Two unidentified Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat, who requested anonymity, stated yesterday that in reaction to Israeli military operations in Rafah, the Egyptian government might consider terminating the historic agreement.
According to Paige Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center, the Camp David Accords were led by three brave men who took a bold stance because they knew the lasting effects for peace and security, both then and for the future. Alexander warned that any engagement prompting Egypt’s involvement in the conflict would have disastrous repercussions throughout the entire region.
