There have been many disturbing developments related to Egypt in recent months and weeks, particularly a significant buildup of military forces in the Sinai that violates the terms of the Israeli-Egyptian peace deal. A high-level Israeli military delegation reportedly visited Cairo on Friday to discuss security arrangements regarding the Philadelphi Corridor. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Israeli delegation raised questions regarding the military build-up in the Sinai. The Egyptian military officials reportedly responded that “any violation of the agreement by the Israeli side will be met with violations by Egypt.” According to Kan News, this was a reference to the IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor. The report says that Egyptian sources revealed that Cairo “conveyed an explicit warning to Israel in the military coordination meetings that the continued presence of IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor [on Gaza’s border with Egypt] will be considered a violation of the Camp David [Peace] Agreement between Israel and Egypt, and that Egypt would not be obligated to the agreement in the ongoing coordination regarding the situation of its forces on the border.” The same report mentioned “Cairo’s refusal to create a new geographic reality,” a reference to Egypt’s opposition to US President Donald Trump’s plan to deport the Palestinians from Gaza. Former Shin Bet intelligence officer Moshe Fuzaylov told JNS that, in the past, Israel allowed Egypt to increase forces in Sinai when they were battling ISIS. However, today they have a massive military presence in the Sinai, way beyond what they need to fight terror, including three airfields, one for fighter jets, along with huge reserves of gas and diesel. He said that Egypt also built large storage tunnels and transportation routes to allow large numbers of forces to arrive in Sinai within hours. Yisrael Hayom quoted former Deputy Ambassador to Egypt and researcher at the Misgav Institute, Ruth Wasserman Lande, who is also concerned about the developments in Egypt. “Over a year ago, on October 8, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made unusually harsh statements, saying that if Israel approached southern Gaza, it would be grounds for war,” she said. “I said back then that this does not bode well. This is very serious, and I wouldn’t dismiss it lightly. Over time, it has become evident that there is a significant increase in Egyptian military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, far beyond even the previous violations of the peace treaty that we had reluctantly accepted.” “Not only are we allowing the buildup of forces on the other side, but we are also permitting it without receiving anything in return, in a way that does not align with the diplomatic language of the Middle East,” she warned. Wasserman Lande added that Egypt views Trump’s plan to deport Palestinians from Gaza as a cause for war. “This was also what initially worried the Egyptians at the start of the war. They view this as a potential cause for war. They understand that Hamas embeds itself within the civilian population, and they do not want that scenario spilling over into Egypt. They reacted strongly when Israel was about to enter Rafah. While they ultimately did not launch a war, they have begun acting as though they are preparing for one.” Wasserman Lande warned that a potential conflict is not a far-fetched scenario, explaining […]