Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi
Will the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, particularly in its security aspect, allow Israel to conduct military operations in Egyptian Sinai?
The treaty outlines security arrangements agreed upon by both countries, including limited armament in Egyptian or Israeli territories and the deployment of international forces and monitors.
Security arrangements in the Sinai Peninsula delineate three zones with varying degrees of Egyptian military and security presence, extending from the west, along the Suez Canal, to the eastern border with Israel, with a fourth zone extending into Israeli territory.
This fourth zone is listed under Zone D. It extends from east Rafah to Eilat, with a depth of four kilometers and an approximate width of 2.5 kilometers along the Israeli-Egyptian border, encompassing the border strip within the Gaza Strip.
In this zone, Israel is allowed a limited force of four infantry brigades equipped solely with surface-to-air missiles, not tanks or artillery, totaling no more than 4,000 soldiers and 180 vehicles.
Israeli forces previously controlled the border strip inside Gaza, known as the Philadelphi Axis or Salah al-Din, extending 14 kilometers until their withdrawal from the territory in 2005.
Following this withdrawal, Israel and Egypt signed the "Philadelphi Protocol" in the same year, allowing Egypt to deploy 750 security personnel to combat terrorism and infiltration across the border in the designated Zone C.
This division and presence have governed the security relationship between the two countries for years, with any modification to the agreed security arrangements in the treaty's annex requiring the consent of both parties. Israel cannot unilaterally deploy additional troops in Zone D without Egypt's approval.
Any breach in this area or along the international border with Egypt is considered a hostile act jeopardizing Egypt's national security and the treaty, allowing Egypt to review, partially freeze, or entirely annul it.
Today, Israel's hint at launching an operation in Rafah and forcibly relocating Gazans to Sinai poses a direct threat to peace with Egypt. Egypt has warned of the severe consequences of any such Israeli action.
Despite reaffirmations by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry that Egypt remains committed to the treaty, the possibility of the Gaza war today raises concerns about the future of the peace treaty brokered by President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin under the auspices of US President Jimmy Carter in 1978.