Egypt Reportedly Considering Suspending 1979 Peace Treaty With Israel

The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that Egypt is threatening to nullify its landmark peace agreement with Israel, struck on March 25, 1979, under then-President Jimmy Carter.

In 1979, then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin attended the White House and signed a treaty, creating years of peace between the nations of Egypt and Israel.

The AP pointed out that peace between Egypt and Israel has been held despite two conflicts in Palestine and a series of wars between the Holy Land and Hamas, a terrorist organization.

It appears that the countries’ peace agreement could soon cease, given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to send troops into Rafah — a city in Gaza along the Egyptian border.

Before striking their landmark peace agreement, Egypt and Israel had engaged in four catastrophic conflicts, with the recent one occurring in 1973, according to the AP.

In September 1978, peace talks emerged in the Camp David Accords and an agreement was reached by Egypt and Israel the following year.

The treaty forced Israel to withdraw troops from Sinai — a peninsula in the Red Sea. Israeli vessels were allowed to pass through a key trade route known as the Suez Canal.

The chief executive of the Carter Center, Paige Alexander, explained the importance of the Camp David Accords and attacked Israel’s contemporary government for the possible nullification of the agreement.

“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 said. “We need the same kind of leadership today, and it is currently lacking in the Israeli government.”

In a statement to the AP, two officials in the Egyptian government said the country could suspend the treaty if Israel decides to invade Rafah.

Netanyahu has said that Rafah is Hamas’ last remaining stronghold following four months of war between the two sides. Egypt opposes such a move, claiming that it could pave the way for Palestinians to flee across the border into its country.

Since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Rafah’s population has drastically increased to around 1.4 million individuals as Palestinians flee fighting across the region.