Newly appointed Israeli ambassador to US warns of Egyptian military buildup in Sinai

Israel's ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, recently briefed the heads of several Jewish organizations in the U.S. about the buildup of Egyptian military units in the Sinai Peninsula, in violation of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. 

Yechiel accused Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of violating the US-brokered peace deal between Israel and Egypt, taking advantage of its crucial role as a mediator in the hostage-ceasefire negotiations. 

Speaking on a Zoom call with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Leiter said Egypt is "in very serious violation of our peace agreement in the Sinai. This is an issue that is going to come to the fore because it’s not tolerable,” Leiter told the conference. 

“We have bases being built that can only be used for offensive operations, for offensive weapons – that’s a clear violation,” Leiter said. “For a long time, it’s been shunted aside, and this continues. This is going to be an issue that we’re going to put on the table very soon and very emphatically.” 

His comments came shortly after videos were released on social media in Egypt over the past couple of weeks showing the increased might of the Egyptian military following a significant build up of its military equipment over the past few years, primarily through U.S. grants and weapons sales. 

Over the past year, several Israeli officials have warned about Egypt’s military buildup in general, as well as the increasing positioning of forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

Israeli security officials told Hebrew media that many times over the past few years, Egypt brought military forces into Sinai in violation of the peace agreement, only asking for Israeli approval afterwards. The officials said approval was always given by Prime Minister Netanyahu. 

Dr. Yagil Henkin, an expert on military affairs, told 'Israel Hayom' that Egypt has used “the method of creeping annexation. First they would bring in the troops, and then they would ask for Israeli permission in retrospect, which was always granted. Even after the operational need ended, the forces were not withdrawn.” 

“The operational need to deal with ISIS has passed, and yet the forces have not been withdrawn,” Henkin stated. “In addition, they have developed infrastructure such as bridges, roads and large tunnels, which allow them to transfer entire divisions to Sinai from the western side of the Suez Canal within hours.” 

Former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt David Govrin said Egypt is still culturally opposed to Israel, despite having a peace treaty for several decades. He stated that the Egyptian people and the government do not recognize the right of existence of the nation of Israel, based on the historical ties of the Jewish people to the land. 

“"The recognition of the historical right of the Jewish people is closely linked to the issue of normalization between the countries. Without such recognition, there will be no deep-rooted and true reconciliation between the peoples, and without reconciliation, there will be no full normalization,” Govrin explained to Ynet last month.

“Egypt's policy toward Israel is therefore conducted along several guidelines. Official diplomatic relations, embassies, military and economic cooperation – yes. Closeness, reconciliation, and cultural ties between the peoples – no.” 

Retired Lt. Col. Eli Dekel, who studied Egypt and the Egyptian military for several decades, said Egypt has increased its armored units by hundreds of tanks in the past few years. 

"I didn't find an explanation in the media for Egypt to increase its armored forces by 700 tanks. They call it a cold peace, but that's not what it's about," Dekel told the Israeli news outlet Maariv. 

In recent days, Cairo's official rhetoric has also escalated in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer Palestinians from Gaza ahead of the U.S. taking over control of the enclave. 

In a recent interview with Maariv, Dekel said Egypt would “do everything in its power” to try to stop the Trump proposal for Gaza because of its strategic importance as a thorn in Israel’s side. 

“Egypt will do everything in its power to thwart this plan,” Dekel told Maariv. “The Egyptians have no interest in resolving the Palestinian issue in Gaza, they have not solved the problem for 70 years.” 

Dekel has also warned about the long-term consequences of plans being discussed by the U.S., India, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, which would involve a trade corridor passing through Israel and bypassing the Suez Canal. Dekel previously warned this would economically devastate Egypt, due the loss of a significant portion of traffic through the canal. 

He argues that this is another reason for Egypt’s aggressive military posturing. Last May, Dekel said, "Certainly, if the American vision of a train from India to Ashdod is fulfilled, the need for the Suez Canal will be eliminated and Egypt will be sent to the dustbin of history. Once the American dream is realized, it will not be worth transporting goods at Egypt's exorbitant prices.” 

At that time, Dekel warned that "since the start of the [Gaza] war, Egypt has been issuing threats to us in one way or another.” 

According to reports, Republicans in the U.S. Congress are aware of the Egyptian violations, and plan to raise them in the congressional agenda.