Egypt Prepares for War!
The cold peace of 1979 between Israel and Egypt is decidedly getting colder by the minute as Egypt builds up its military presence in contravention of the 1979 peace agreement. These violations began soon after the agreement’s signing; Egypt has since expanded its military footprint, outstripping the limits set by the peace agreement.
Consequently, the current build-up goes well beyond Egypt’s need to control extremist groups operating in the Sinai and now threatens the balance of power between Israel and El Sisi’s Egypt. El Sisi has run roughshod over what’s allowed for in the treaty. Moving the Egyptian army from a defensive to an offensive posture in the Sinai. In addition to conventional weaponry, Egypt has developed underground storage facilities for a range of missiles and drones, all capable of hitting the length and breadth of the Jewish State; none of these weapons is required in eradicating terrorist bands but rather to be used in the course of a major offensive towards a nation-state, all reminiscent of Iran and Hezbollah’s strategic thinking.
If anything is to be learnt from the October 7 tragedy, it’s the need to prepare for the worst-case scenario and not be caught by surprise. With this in mind, Israel must oppose all breaches of the 79 agreement and insist that Egypt dismantle all non-conforming facilities and withdraw back within the appointed areas allotted to both countries.
If this is not done, then war will become inevitable within the foreseeable future. The outcome will depend on Israel’s self-belief and its ability to impose its will on a potential threat from an old enemy.
