Egypt Daily News – Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz affirmed that his country will not allow Egypt to violate the peace treaty signed between them in 1979, while totally ignoring the fact that Israel broke the peace treaty first when they occupied the Philadelphi corridor.
Katz is the second Israeli official to speak about the historic peace treaty, which was signed more than 40 years ago and has been a cornerstone of regional stability.
In a speech delivered in Hebrew and reported by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Monday, during a commemoration event for former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Katz stated that Egypt is “the largest and strongest Arab country and remains so,” adding that the treaty “removed Egypt from the circle of war.”
He described the treaty as a “historic leadership decision that changed Israel’s reality and continues to do so today,” emphasizing that Israel “will not allow violations of the agreement or structural breaches.”
Since Egypt announced its refusal to accept Gaza residents following U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate them to other countries, several Israeli reports have spoken of Egyptian military movements in Sinai.
Most of these reports, published by newspapers such as The Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom, focused on alleged satellite images suggesting that the Egyptian army was transferring weapons and equipment and setting up barriers in violation of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
While these claims have not been confirmed by official Israeli sources, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, made statements aligning with this narrative, however he was forced to take his video down so an not to upset the Egyptians.
The ambassador made these statements just days after his appointment in late January and about two weeks before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, where the ambassador spoke, published his full remarks, noting that they were made in January.
In his televised statements, the ambassador spoke of what he described as an “increasing military presence” of the Egyptian army in the Sinai Peninsula and a “violation” of the peace treaty.
According to Israel Hayom, this was “the first time an Israeli official has spoken on this issue.”
Speaking at the conference, Leiter said, “Egypt is seriously violating the peace agreement in Sinai. This issue will come to the forefront because the current situation is unacceptable.”
He added, “There are bases under construction that can only be used for offensive operations and offensive weapons. This is a clear violation. For a long time, this issue has been sidelined, but it continues, and we will put it on the table very soon, without a doubt.” Again he ignored the fact that Israel broke the peace treaty by occupying the Philadelphi corridor first.
David Govrin, Israel’s former ambassador to Egypt from 2016 to 2019, made similar statements last month in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, accusing Egypt of violating the treaty by increasing its military presence in Sinai.
The former ambassador pointed to “offensive and defensive structures that exceed what was agreed upon in the peace treaty and the deployment of a larger number of forces than what Israel allowed Egypt under the framework of its fight against terrorism.”
He questioned the purpose of these forces, arguing that “Egypt does not face threats from its neighbors.” The Egyptians disagree since Israel and Israeli official have threaten Egypt several times by talking about displacing 1.8 million Palestinians in Sinai.
So far, Israel has officially refrained from commenting on claims of an Egyptian military buildup in Sinai. Military officials have later downplayed concerns, stating that Egypt does not pose an imminent threat to Israel.
Egypt has requested Israel’s approval on multiple occasions to deploy additional forces while combating Islamist militants in Sinai, and such requests have often been granted, according to official statements. Recently, Egyptian officials warned Israel that allowing an influx of refugees into Sinai would put the peace treaty at risk.
Hamas and other armed groups are deeply embedded in Palestinian society, and affiliated elements would likely move with the refugees, meaning that future wars could be fought on Egyptian soil.
