Egypt Threatens to Suspend Peace Treaty with Israel
2024-02-13
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1Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a peace deal in 1979.
2The agreement, marked by a handshake, has resulted in more than 40 years of peace between Middle East neighbors Israel and Egypt.
3That peace agreement has held up through two Palestinian uprisings and several wars between Israel and Hamas.
4But the Egyptian government is threatening to suspend the agreement as Israel plans to send troops into Rafah, a city in Gaza on the border with Egypt.
5In 1977, Begin, Israel's new prime minister was opposed to giving back any land captured by Israel 10 years earlier in the 1967 war.
6Those lands included Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
7Egypt and Israel had fought four major wars, most recently in 1973. However, Egypt's Sadat broke with other Arab leaders and decided to talk with the Israelis.
8The talks resulted in the Camp David Accords in September 1978 and a peace treaty the following year.
9Under the peace treaty, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai, which Egypt would leave demilitarized.
10Israeli ships were granted passage through the Suez Canal, an important trade pathway.
11The countries established full diplomatic relations.
12It was Israel's first peace agreement with an Arab country since the country's establishment in 1948.
13Paige Alexander is head of the Carter Center.
14She said, "The Camp David Accords were led by three brave men who took a bold stance because they knew the lasting effects for peace and security, both then and for the future. We need the same kind of leadership today, and that is currently lacking."
15On Sunday, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat told The Associated Press that Egypt might suspend the peace treaty if Israeli troops enter Rafah.
16Last October, Hamas launched a surprise attack from the Palestinian territory of Gaza into southern Israel.
17The terrorist group killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 150 hostages including Americans.
18Israel answered with airstrikes and ground attacks in Gaza.
19The Palestinian-controlled health ministry reported in February that 28,000 people have been killed in more than four months of fighting.
20The number, which is not confirmed, includes both civilians and militants.
21Israel says Rafah is the last area under Hamas control.
22Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into Rafah is needed to defeat the group.
23However, Egypt opposes any move that could send desperate Palestinians fleeing across the border into its territory.
24Rafah serves as the main entry point into Gaza for humanitarian aid.
25An Israeli attack could prevent deliveries of supplies to Palestinians in Gaza.
26Rafah's population has expanded from 280,000 people to an estimated 1.4 million as Palestinians flee fighting in other parts of Gaza.
27Hundreds of thousands of those evacuees are now living in tents.
28Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to prepare a plan to evacuate all Palestinian civilians before the offensive starts.
29But it is unclear where they will go.
30Netanyahu said Sunday that Palestinians would be able to return to open spaces in northern Gaza.
31But those areas have been badly damaged by the Israeli offensive.
32The treaty between Egypt and Israel limits the number of troops on both sides of the border.
33The countries, however, have agreed in the past to make changes to deal with security threats.
34In addition to Gaza, Israel has engaged in regular exchanges of weapons fire with the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
35Israeli forces are also deployed in the occupied West Bank.
36If Egypt were to end the agreement, Israel would have to deploy more troops to protect its southern border with Egypt.
37Such a move, however, would affect Egypt as well.
38Since the peace agreement, Egypt has received billions of dollars in military assistance from the U.S.
39If the agreement is ended, it could threaten that aid while Egypt's economy is struggling.
40The war between Hamas and Israel has already spread to the Red Sea where Yemen's Houthi rebels regularly attack commercial shipping.
41In Jordan, militants, supported by Iran, struck an American position with a drone last month killing three U.S. service members.
42The U.S. answered with several major strikes against militants in Iraq and Syria.
43Alexander from the Carter Center said any step that could draw Egypt into the hostilities "would be catastrophic for the entire region."
44I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a peace deal in 1979. The agreement, marked by a handshake, has resulted in more than 40 years of peace between Middle East neighbors Israel and Egypt. 2That peace agreement has held up through two Palestinian uprisings and several wars between Israel and Hamas. But the Egyptian government is threatening to suspend the agreement as Israel plans to send troops into Rafah, a city in Gaza on the border with Egypt. 3Israel-Egypt peace treaty 4In 1977, Begin, Israel's new prime minister was opposed to giving back any land captured by Israel 10 years earlier in the 1967 war. Those lands included Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. 5Egypt and Israel had fought four major wars, most recently in 1973. However, Egypt's Sadat broke with other Arab leaders and decided to talk with the Israelis. The talks resulted in the Camp David Accords in September 1978 and a peace treaty the following year. 6Under the peace treaty, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai, which Egypt would leave demilitarized. Israeli ships were granted passage through the Suez Canal, an important trade pathway. The countries established full diplomatic relations. It was Israel's first peace agreement with an Arab country since the country's establishment in 1948. 7Paige Alexander is head of the Carter Center. She said, "The Camp David Accords were led by three brave men who took a bold stance because they knew the lasting effects for peace and security, both then and for the future. We need the same kind of leadership today, and that is currently lacking." 8What is Egypt's position? 9On Sunday, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat told The Associated Press that Egypt might suspend the peace treaty if Israeli troops enter Rafah. 10Last October, Hamas launched a surprise attack from the Palestinian territory of Gaza into southern Israel. The terrorist group killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 150 hostages including Americans. 11Israel answered with airstrikes and ground attacks in Gaza. The Palestinian-controlled health ministry reported in February that 28,000 people have been killed in more than four months of fighting. The number, which is not confirmed, includes both civilians and militants. 12Israel says Rafah is the last area under Hamas control. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into Rafah is needed to defeat the group. 13However, Egypt opposes any move that could send desperate Palestinians fleeing across the border into its territory. Rafah serves as the main entry point into Gaza for humanitarian aid. An Israeli attack could prevent deliveries of supplies to Palestinians in Gaza. 14Rafah's population has expanded from 280,000 people to an estimated 1.4 million as Palestinians flee fighting in other parts of Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of those evacuees are now living in tents. 15Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to prepare a plan to evacuate all Palestinian civilians before the offensive starts. But it is unclear where they will go. 16Netanyahu said Sunday that Palestinians would be able to return to open spaces in northern Gaza. But those areas have been badly damaged by the Israeli offensive. 17What happens if the peace treaty ends? 18The treaty between Egypt and Israel limits the number of troops on both sides of the border. The countries, however, have agreed in the past to make changes to deal with security threats. 19In addition to Gaza, Israel has engaged in regular exchanges of weapons fire with the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Israeli forces are also deployed in the occupied West Bank. 20If Egypt were to end the agreement, Israel would have to deploy more troops to protect its southern border with Egypt. 21Such a move, however, would affect Egypt as well. 22Since the peace agreement, Egypt has received billions of dollars in military assistance from the U.S. If the agreement is ended, it could threaten that aid while Egypt's economy is struggling. 23The war between Hamas and Israel has already spread to the Red Sea where Yemen's Houthi rebels regularly attack commercial shipping. 24In Jordan, militants, supported by Iran, struck an American position with a drone last month killing three U.S. service members. The U.S. answered with several major strikes against militants in Iraq and Syria. 25Alexander from the Carter Center said any step that could draw Egypt into the hostilities "would be catastrophic for the entire region." 26I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 27Julia Frankel reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English. 28____________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30bold -adj. unafraid, willing to do something that is difficult 31delivery -n. the act of taking something to a person or group that requested it 32evacuee -n. a person who has been evacuated from a place, meaning they have been moved for their safety because of a dangerous situation 33engage -v. to be involved in a process that requires action and attention 34commercial -adj. related to trade and business activity with an aim to make a profit 35drone -n. a vehicle that operates without a human pilot onboard often an aircraft or boat 36catastrophic -adj. disastrous, something that is extremely bad 37region -n. an area of the Earth that is know for certain qualities such as its geological, geographical, or political boundaries