Smotrich’s Sinai Threat Puts Egypt’s Peace Ties in Focus

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks about Sinai have drawn criticism in Cairo, raising questions about how Egypt can respond to the threat while preserving its peace treaty with Israel.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of the October War, Smotrich said “there will be no Sinai” if Egypt attacks Israel. His conditional threat targeted territory central to Egypt’s sovereignty and to the history of relations between the two countries.

Egypt and Israel have been bound by a peace treaty since 1979. That agreement provides the backdrop to the controversy, underscoring the tension between Smotrich’s language and the formal peace that links the neighbours.

The timing gave the remarks added sensitivity in Egypt, where the October War anniversary carries deep national significance. Criticism in Cairo reflects the weight of a threat directed at Sinai at such a moment.

The episode poses a delicate challenge: rejecting language that threatens Egyptian territory without allowing the dispute to undermine the peace framework. The information available does not establish what formal steps, if any, Cairo has taken in response.