The relationship between Egypt and the West Bank is deeply rooted in history, marked by periods of conflict, diplomatic efforts, and shifting political landscapes. This relationship is intertwined with the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Egypt's role in regional stability.
Historical Context
The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are two Palestinian territories that were part of Mandate Palestine and were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. The West Bank stretches across the eastern border of Israel along the west banks of the Jordan River and most of the Dead Sea, thus how it received its name.
There has been a conflict over the specific territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for over a hundred years, dating back even before Israel became a country. Since the Six-Day War, though, the tension between Israelis and Palestinians living in the territories has been constant, often ending in violence.
Egypt's involvement in the region dates back centuries. The Hyksos, an ancient Levantine group, invaded Ancient Egypt and established their own dynasty in Egypt. Egypt would later expel the Hyksos and rule over Palestine during the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. Egypt and Palestine would then be ruled by foreign kingdoms until Muhammad Ali Pasha's war against the Ottoman Empire. After the war, Egypt would rule over the Levant, including Palestine, but high taxes and conscription would lead to a revolt against Egyptian rule.
In 1947, the British government referred the matter to the United Nations, which adopted the Partition Plan (Resolution 181). The plan proposed dividing Palestine and ultimately led to the creation of Israel. The Arab League members Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq refused to accept the UN partition plan and proclaimed the right of self-determination for the Arabs across the whole of Palestine.
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The war between Israel and Egypt ended with the signing of an armistice agreement on 24 February 1949. In the accord with Egypt, armistice lines were established that served as de facto borders. As a result of the war, Israel expanded its territory beyond the areas allocated to it under the 1947 UN partition plan. Egypt assumed control of the Gaza Strip, while Transjordan (later Jordan) took over the West Bank.
Conflicts and Tensions
Like all other Arab countries, Egypt protested Israel’s creation at the expense of Palestine. Egypt refused to recognize the state of Israel until 1979. Egypt and Israel have engaged in four wars, the instigators varying from war-to-war.
Perhaps the most important of the Arab-Israeli conflicts is the 1967 War. Egypt deployed 100,000 soldiers to the Sinai Peninsula, signed a defense treaty with Jordan, and once again the closed the Straits of Tiran to Israel in preparation for an attack on Israel’s western border. Israel anticipated the attack, and preemptively bombed the Egyptian forces, chasing them back from the Sinai and completely destroying their air force.
As a result of the war, Israel seized control of the territories of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights among others. The last war between Egypt and Israel was the 1973 war. Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on the Israelis during Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, catching the Israelis off guard.
The Road to Peace
The war made Israel realize that it could not sustain continued animosity with its neighbors, and led them to the 1978 Camp David Accords and a peace treaty the following year. As part of the treaty, Israel withdrew from the Sinai with the condition that Egypt keep it demilitarized and recognize the state of Israel.
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In November 1977, Sadat made a surprise visit to Jerusalem. The purpose of the visit was to address the Knesset, the legislative body in Israel, to try to advance the Israeli-Arab peace process. Sadat met with senior Israeli officials, including prime minister Begin. It was the first visit of its kind by an Arab leader to Israel.
The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty was signed on 26 March 1979. Normalization of relations between Israel and Egypt took effect in January 1980. Ambassadors were exchanged the following month, with Eliyahu Ben-Elissar as the first Israeli Ambassador to Egypt, and Saad Mortada as the first Egyptian Ambassador to Israel.
Peace between Egypt and Israel has lasted for more than forty years and Egypt has become an important strategic partner of Israel. Egypt has an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate in Eilat. Israel has an embassy in Cairo and a consulate in Alexandria. Their shared border has two official crossings, one at Taba and one at Nitzana. The crossing at Nitzana is for commercial and tourist traffic only.
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The "Cold Peace" and Ongoing Issues
In Israel, the initial response to the peace treaty was one of optimism and high expectations for a warm and comprehensive relationship with Egypt. However, this soon gave way to disappointment as Egypt limited its engagement to formal diplomatic ties, leading to a "cold peace".
Scholars have debated the causes and context behind the emergence of the “cold peace.” One perspective attributes it primarily to the policies of the Egyptian leadership, which is seen as having intentionally slowed the normalization process out of fear that closer ties with the other side’s society could destabilize Egypt internally and diminish its regional influence.
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An alternative view points to Israeli actions in the early 1980s as a key factor-such as the 1981 strike on Iraq’s nuclear reactor, the 1982 Lebanon War, and legislative moves like the Jerusalem Law and the Golan Heights Law. These developments intensified pressure on the Egyptian regime from both Egyptian and broader Arab public opinion, weakening its willingness to pursue normalization.
In addition to the two main schools of thought, there is broad agreement that the Palestinian issue remained a major obstacle to deeper relations. In 1979, the city of Rafah was split between Egypt and the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip, separating families and leading to the construction of underground tunnels for communication.
Egypt as a Mediator
Since 1985, Egypt's president Mubarak was actively involved in diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He focused on fostering regional stability and curbing the influence of extremist movements. Together with other countries, Mubarak participated in the 1991 Madrid Conference which was an attempt by the international community to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process through negotiations.
The bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations eventually led to the subsequent signing of the Oslo I Accord, the 1994 Cairo Agreement and the Oslo II Accord in 1995, which were key milestones in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The latter two were signed in Egypt.
Egypt played a central mediating role in all four major conflicts between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that preceded October 7: Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009), Operation Pillar of Defense (2012), and Operation Protective Edge (2014), and Operation Guardian of the Walls (2021). Given the border that it shares with Gaza, Egypt has long prioritized stability in the Strip and has serious concerns that instability in Gaza could spill over to its territory.
Recent Developments and the Gaza War
During the Gaza war from 2023, Egypt has provided significant humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through the Rafah border crossing. On 1 November 2023, Egypt has also allowed some wounded Palestinians to enter Egypt for medical care.
In the course of these events, Israel had suggested that Egypt should welcome more displaced Palestinians, but Egypt has refused to bear the burden of a mass exodus from Palestine to accommodate millions of Palestinians in their country. The Egyptian leadership had suggested that Palestinian refugees should be accommodated by Israel in the Negev instead.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, responding to Israel's ban on entering Gaza, stated that his primary responsibility is to protect the lives and security of Egyptian citizens. He affirmed that Egypt would not enter the war. The Egyptian plan acknowledges that “reconstruction requires arrangements for transitional governance and security arrangements,” and outlines a process for returning the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Gaza.
Egypt also relied on its historical role as the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, as mediator between Israel and Hamas in previous Gaza conflicts, and as the gatekeeper of the Rafah crossing. Egypt functioned as a regional hub connecting Israel, Hamas, Qatar and the United States. At the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit on October 13, Egypt co-signed the Trump Peace Agreement to “end the war in Gaza and bring lasting peace to the Middle East.”
After the October 13 Peace Summit, President Sisi announced that Egypt will host another conference in November for the reconstruction of Gaza. The international community is expected to gather in Cairo to start implementing Egypt’s multi-phase reconstruction plan, which includes debris removal, rebuilding homes and critical infrastructure, restoring essential services, among many other development projects.
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