Egypt's el-Sisi Tells Smotrich Cairo Has No War Agenda

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has responded to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's warning that Egypt would lose Sinai if it ever attacked Israel. El-Sisi declared that Cairo has no intention of going to war and that its peace agreement with Israel stands "as long as our borders are quiet and secure."

El-Sisi addressed the Israeli minister directly, though not by name. The remarks drew applause from his audience.

"I heard the statement from one of the senior Israeli officials, saying that we will not go to war because we are concerned about the fate of Sinai. I want to tell him: 'Who said we want war? We have no such agenda. Our land is in our hands. We fought to take it, and the matter is settled.'"

"As long as our borders are quiet and secure, we have a peace agreement with Israel, and we have no ambitions regarding it or its territory," el-Sisi added.

i24NEWS reported that el-Sisi recalled that Egypt had fought a war to defend its territory and recover all of its land. He also asked whether some circles in Israel hold unfounded fears about Egyptian territorial ambitions. He said Egypt harbors no hidden intentions toward Israel. "Our main objective is to preserve our security and stability," el-Sisi stated. He said Cairo would protect its borders, its national interests and its people's resources within a framework of peace.

The dispute began with an interview Smotrich gave to the chareidi news site Hashtiblach. He was asked about future threats to Israel, including a possible Egyptian attack. "What will cause Egypt not to attack us? They know that if they attack, there will be no Sinai," he said. "It won't happen again. There is no [Menachem] Begin."

The interview dealt mainly with Israel's strategic situation, including the war in Gaza, military control of the Strip and the state of Hamas and Hezbollah. Smotrich did not lay out any plan to attack Egypt. He described what he said would follow if Egypt attacked Israel.

Begin, then prime minister, signed the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty on March 26, 1979. Under that treaty, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula.

On October 7, Egyptian television hosts, a member of parliament and a political scientist turned on Smotrich over the Sinai remarks. Egyptian channels aired threats against Israel, Tel Aviv and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.