Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty Under Scrutiny by Former Lawmaker

Former Knesset member Idan Roll issued a stark warning Thursday about Israel's relationship with Egypt, arguing that the countries' peace agreement provides no assurance that Cairo won't initiate hostilities in the future.

"A peace treaty is no guarantee that Egypt won't go to war, it's just paper," Roll wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He contended that the agreement holds force only as long as Egypt has no interest in violating it.

According to Roll, the treaty's effectiveness depends entirely on "Israeli deterrence and Egypt's own interests." He warned that "the day Egypt decides it's 'worthwhile' to attack Israel, no paper we signed will prevent her from doing so."

Roll, who served in the Knesset with the centrist Yesh Atid party, clarified that he is not advocating for opening another military front. "I'm not saying Israel should open a front against Egypt, but rather that we must not view Egypt as a handled front and certainly not as an ally," he wrote.

The former lawmaker rejected the framing that presents a choice between the Egyptian threat and Qatari involvement in the Gaza Strip. Both countries, he argued, pose potential problems for Israel: "Egypt in Gaza is dangerous to Israel. So is Qatar. Unfortunately, we have more than one problem."

Roll maintained that evaluating relations with Egypt solely through the lens of the 1979 peace treaty is "deficient and even dangerous." The agreement, he noted, reflects a regional reality from decades ago, while conditions in the Middle East have changed dramatically since its signing.

He went on to accuse Egypt of a series of actions since the October 7 Hamas attacks, including "repeated violations of the peace agreement" and a buildup of Egyptian military forces.

Roll also addressed weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip, asserting that the events of October 7 demonstrated that Egypt either cannot or will not prevent such smuggling operations.

"Whoever cannot be trusted to prevent smuggling into the Strip, it stands to reason they should not be allowed to manage the Strip," he concluded.