Aim: What is the history, attitude and role of Egypt in the Arab/Israeli conflict?
I.
A History of War:
What is the historic relationship between Egypt and Israel?
Egypt and Israel fought several wars:
 1948 – Egypt attacked Israel when it declared independence
 1956 - Israel launched an attack on Egypt capturing the Sinai but withdrew following a UN ceasefire
 1967 - (Six Day War) Israel launched a devastating (surprise or pre-emptive) strike against Egypt after they
closed the Straits of Tiran. Israel captured the entire Sinai Peninsula including the Gaza Strip from Egypt
 1973 – Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur capturing some of the Sinai back.
II.
A History of Peace: Why did Egypt and Israel sign a peace treaty at Camp David?
A.
Motives For Peace:
Egypt suffered great losses by fighting four wars with Israel. It is
the most populous Arab country but does not have oil wealth. It could not afford more war and
desperately needed aid. To gain back its territory and become a US ally as well as recipient of US
financial aid, it signed a treaty with Israel.
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made a surprise historic visit to Jerusalem in 1977. Sadat and Israeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed a peace treaty at Camp David under US President Jimmy
Carter. Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel.
Results: Egyptians gained aid/funds from the US (just like Israel received)
Egypt regained its territory, the Sinai, except for the Gaza Strip which it no longer wants.
Because they compromised with the “enemy,” Egypt’s role as leader of the Arab world diminished
B.
Egypt’s Dilemma: What type of peace? Cold but enduring…
Rapprochment: Egypt maintains its relationship with Israel because it cannot afford:
 Another costly war with Israel
 To lose US military and financial support
Distance: The government maintains arm’s length with Israel because:
 It sympathizes with the Palestinians who are Arab
 It’s better to have its citizens vilify Israel than its own government
[It needs to avoid provoking its population which is becoming disenchanted with Mubarak who has been in office
much too long for to really be considered “democratic”]
 It does not want Israel to gain economic hegemony (dominance) in Egypt and the greater Middle East
III.
Egypt as Mediator of Conflict:
Why does Egypt would want to play a leadership role in ending the Palestinian/Israeli conflict?
If the conflict continues and becomes worse it will strengthen radical groups throughout the Middle East
potentially causing a threat and potentially regime change in secular republic of Egypt.
The region seems to becoming more radicalized as people grow unhappy with corrupt and dictatorial
regimes many of which are secular. Increasingly people are looking favorably on Islamic governments such
as Iran, or Islamic movements such as Hezbollah or Hamas thinking that “Islam is the solution.” They are
also vocally critical against the west which they charge has supported colonial policies in the region. Egypt
doesn’t want to lose its historically large role in the region and doesn’t want political Islam to spread to its
country or overthrow it. The Sinai Desert for which borders Israel and Gaza is becoming harder control.
Several terrorist bombings have were carried out there killing and chasing out potential tourists which is the
backbone of the Egyptian Economy. Were these bombers Egyptian Bedouin? Palestinian? Egyptian
Islamists? Are they working together now? What if this pattern of violence spreads throughout Egypt
itself?
Egypt’s Involvement as a Mediator of Conflict
Egypt tried on many occasions to jump start negotiations. It has also acted as a consultant for Palestinians
and at times, though less so for Israelis putting it in a good position to try to bridge the gap. Yet for a long
time, President Mubarak, had a troubled relationship with the late Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, which
contributed to the impasse.
During both Palestinian uprisings, Egypt showed its solidarity with the Palestinians by withdrawing its
ambassador to Israel and publicly condemning Israeli actions i.e. reoccupation of many Arab towns under
the Intifada, Israeli expansion of settlements and its erection of a security fence. Some say this is in name
only since they continue to maintain a peace agreement with Israel.
Despite its loyalty to the Palestinians, Egypt continues to make overtures in the name of peace. It hosted
the Taba talks after Camp David II failed as well as a summit at Sharm El Sheik when the Palestinian Fatah
party, headed by Mahmud Abbas, was in power. Now the Palestinian Authority is headed by the
democratically elected Hamas. This is problematic for Israel because Hamas doesn’t recognize Israel
something its Palestinian predecessors did. Hamas is part of the larger political movement known as the
“Muslim Brotherhood” which poses a threat to the secular government of Egypt. Egypt’s discomfort with
Islamist politics came to the fore in the latest war in the region. In the 2006 war in Lebanon and Israel,
Egypt condemned Hezbollah, another Islamist party, until reports of massive damage to Lebanon and
pressure forced them to lend a critical voice to Israel.
What to Do?
One area of discomfort is Gaza. Formerly part of Egypt, it was captured in 1967 by the Israelis and
conceded by the Israelis last year to the Palestinians. Egypt does not want to control this densely populated
strip of land but has agreed to take responsibility for controlling the border crossings. This has proven
problematic as tunnels through which Palestinian/Egyptian arms smuggling is often exposed by the Israelis
putting Egypt in an uncomfortable position. It does not want to support the militarization of Gaza but it
doesn’t want to seem overly sympathetic to the Israelis.