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OPINION JUNE 27, 2025 | The Indian Eye 10

The Bibi–Sisi Rift: Threat

to Camp David Accords

President Sisi’s rejection of US–Israeli plan to relocate Gazans to Egypt, controversy over
Ben Gurion Canal project to bypass Suez Canal and Egypt’s shift towards Russia, China and

Turkiye threatens to derail the 1978 Camp David Accords.

DR ADIL RASHEED

gypt, once celebrated as the
socio-political nerve centre of
Ethe Arab world, seems to be
witnessing a decline in its geopolitical
stature even in its immediate neigh-
bourhood in recent decades, owing
to its economic hardships and the rise
of Islamist movements in the region.
This steady marginalisation of Egypt
came into sharp focus when it did
not feature in US President Donald
Trump’s recent tour of Arab coun-
tries. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
was also not invited to the US–Gulf
summit in Riyadh held in May 2025.
It might be argued that Trump
was not on a grand tour of West Asia
but was mainly visiting GCC (Gulf
Cooperation Council) states in May
2025. It is also speculated that the
US president avoided visiting Cairo
as Sisi had recently turned down the
US–Israeli plan to relocate Gazans to Gen Sisi (left) and Benjamin Netanyahu (Agency File photo)
Egypt and Jordan, rejected Trump’s
demand for free passage of US ships 1978 are often seen as the cornerstone reportedly warned that “if even one hundreds of them on their side of
through the Suez Canal and even re- of Israeli-Arab relations, which has Palestinian refugee crosses over (into the border years ago. To further allay
fused military assistance to US–Israeli withstood several regional challenges Egypt)—the peace agreement (of US–Israeli concerns, Sisi even hailed
operations against the Houthis. and clashes between Palestinian fac- 1979) will be nullified.” the 1978 Camp David Accords as “a
In fact, Sisi had himself cancelled tions and Israel. However, it is for the Tensions between the two sides model for lasting peace” at the Arab
a planned visit to Washington earlier first time that Egyptian government rose in September last year, when Summit on 4 March 2025.
in order to supposedly avoid discuss- officials have started threatening to Israel eventually took control of the Yet, that assurance was soon off-
ing the US–Israeli Gaza plan with scrap the treaty following Israel’s war Philadelphi Corridor and Israeli set by a lawsuit filed by a human rights
Trump. In any case, US–Egypt rela- in Gaza triggered by the Hamas-led 7 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advocate Mahmoud Hassanein at
tions have hit a new low amid reports October terror attacks. (popularly known as Bibi) said that Egypt’s Administrative Court in late
that the Washington plans to reduce The first indication of the threat Hamas had been using tunnels under April 2024, which demands the Egyp-
Egypt’s US$ 1.3 million annual mil- to Israel–Egypt peace treaty of 1979 the border to smuggle arms and re- tian President to call for a national
itary aid —linked to the 1978 Camp came in January 2024, when the build its military machine. referendum on the continuance of the
David Accords and the 1979 Isra- Egyptian government warned Israel Israeli prime minister even clari- 1978 Camp David Accords. The filing
el–Egypt peace treaty—on account that any planned occupation of the fied that IDF forces shall not withdraw of such a lawsuit that challenges the
of Cairo’s growing military ties with Philadelphi Corridor (a 100 metre from the corridor until the smuggling policies of the ruling Egyptian presi-
Beijing. wide and 14 km long strip of land is effectively stopped. Thus, Netanya- dent is rare in Egypt and the develop-
In fact, Egypt’s increasing antip- between Gaza and Egypt) by Israeli hu implicitly dismissed Egypt’s de- ment shows growing disquiet within
athy towards the US is viewed with forces would be a violation of the 1978 mand for giving a clear timeline about Egyptian society and political circles
respect to its growing acrimony with Camp David Accords. Israeli troop withdrawal from the against the ongoing Gaza war and
the Netanyahu government over the Later in February 2024, when Philadelphi corridor. the simmering resentment towards
ongoing Gaza war, and the alleged the Netanyahu government informed For their part, Egyptian officials the country’s 1979 peace treaty with
build-up of its military across the 200 Egypt that it had planned to launch insisted that there remained no ex- Israel.
km border with Israel. a ground operation in Gaza’s south- isting tunnels in the Philadelphi cor- Although Egypt is the only coun-
The Camp David Accords of ern city of Rafah, Egyptian officials ridor as their forces had destroyed Continued on next page... >>

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