Egypt is considering downgrading its diplomatic ties with Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday morning.
The report follows Cairo’s announcement on Sunday that it will join South Africa in its genocide case against Israel at the Hague.
The report quoted Egyptian officials as saying that the standoff began after Israel gave Egypt only hours notice before launching the operation last week to take control of the Gazan side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The officials added that Cairo is considering pulling its ambassador from Tel Aviv.
“As we stand, there are no plans to suspend ties or throw away Camp David,” said another Egyptian official, referring to the Camp David Accords that led to the 1979 peace treaty. “But as long as Israeli forces remain at Rafah crossing, Egypt will not send a single truck to Rafah.”
However, according to IDF Brig. Gen. (res) Relik Shafir, one of eight Air Force pilots who took part in the attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, Egypt has a different reason for not wanting IDF troops to operate in the Rafah area.
Shafir told 124 News: “There are probably tunnels running from the Rafah to Egypt. Egypt is very upset at the fact that Israel is going to that area, lest it finds that the Egyptians were quietly collaborating with Hamas. Quietly meaning – they disregarded – or weren’t adamant enough in preventing the flow of goods from the Sinai into Rafah.”
Egypt depends on billions of dollars in US military aid that is contingent on its peace treaty with Israel.
Egypt not only sealed its border with Gaza to ensure not even one fleeing Gazan enters its territory, it is also refusing to cooperate with Israel to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza from the Rafah Crossing, causing aid shipments to come to a standstill.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
It’s all about control of the Rafah crossing. They’ve been making millions by controlling what goes to Hamas.
This is typical of Egypt and the way Arabs work. And don’t tell me Egyptians aren’t Arabs etc. They’re all mixed up .
The Egyptians allegedly gave notification back in September about something that was coming up. When for whatever the reason is, לב מלאכים ושרים ביד השם, EY didn’t do anything with that information or couldn’t understand how they were planning such an attack, the Egyptians told EY If you want to deal with them, you’re on your own. Go do it.
Now of course they’re getting linguine spined. Everyone knows Egypt doesn’t like the “palestinians” anyway. Everyone knows most of the countries don’t like them because they come into their countries and all they do is wreak havoc.