Sinai, the New Egypt, and the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs ^ | August 22, 2012 | Alan Baker

[jerusalemjudy]

The relationship established in 1978-9 between Israel and Egypt constituted a significant change in the mindset of the international community. It was a revolutionary change that laid the foundation for the ensuing Middle East peace process. In Article III of the peace treaty, Egypt and Israel undertake: “to ensure that acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, or violence do not originate from and are not committed from within its territory, or by any forces subject to its control or by any other forces stationed on its territory.” Both states are obligated to prevent the use of their territory for acts of terror against the other. In the context of the present situation in Sinai and the enhanced terror activity by Hamas et al this means that Egypt has full sovereign responsibility and obligation to act in order to prevent any terror activity that could pose a threat to Israel. The semi-demilitarization of Sinai clearly did not visualize the possibility that thirty years later the area would become a haven for terror infrastructure. To cope with such eventualities, the treaty enables mechanisms to handle situations that crop up on an ad-hoc basis and there is no need for formal amendment to the peace treaty itself. Conversely, any changes in the level of forces of the Egyptian army in Sinai without Israel’s agreement would constitute a violation of the treaty. The present challenge and threat to the integrity of the peace treaty is a challenge that can and should be handled within the context of the peace treaty. It is perhaps the most serious test of the capability of Egypt to prove to the world that even in an era of extreme political change, its interest is in protecting and maintaining the integrity of the peace relationship with Israel.