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

Remarks by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich about Sinai have drawn criticism in Cairo, putting the tension between defending Egyptian sovereignty and preserving peace with Israel under renewed scrutiny.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of the October War, Smotrich said there would be “no Sinai” if Egypt attacked Israel. His statement framed the threat around a hypothetical Egyptian attack, rather than reporting any such action.

The reference to Sinai carries particular weight in Egypt, where the peninsula is closely tied to national sovereignty and the memory of the October War. The timing added to the sensitivity of the remarks.

Egypt and Israel have been bound by a peace treaty since 1979. That agreement remains the central framework for their relations, making a threat involving Egyptian territory especially contentious.

For Cairo, the diplomatic challenge is how to reject threatening rhetoric without allowing it to undermine the peace framework. The criticism reflects the sensitivity of that balance, but does not by itself establish a change in Egypt’s policy toward Israel.