'Egypt doesn't want to harm peace agreement,' Israeli officials say about concerns of military buildup

Over the past months, Israeli media increasingly covered reports that the Egyptian military is in the process of ramping up its presence in the Sinai Peninsula, which was stipulated to be a near-demilitarized zone in the historic 1979 peace agreement.

In recent weeks, Israeli officials like the Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, and Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, have joined the growing chorus of voices warning that after decades of peace, the Egyptian frontier might return to being a strategic threat for Israel.

However, Israeli officials cited by Kan News on Tuesday strove to assuage potential fears of an imminent conflagration.

“We do not identify any intention on Egypt's part to harm the peace agreement,” a senior Israeli official said.

He confirmed that some violations of the agreements had been identified but clarified: “Israel has demanded that Egypt uphold the agreement, but these are not blatant violations.”

According to the report by Kan News’ military correspondent Roi Sharon, Israeli sources painted a balanced picture regarding reports of an Egyptian military buildup.

“On one hand, they reassured and noted that some of the reports circulating on social media were fake news, old footage, or materials that were not even from Sinai,” he wrote.

This week, social media footage purportedly showing Egyptian tanks massing in the Sinai was widely covered by Israeli and Arab news outlets.

“On the other hand, Israel closely monitored the violations that did occur and maintained ongoing dialogue with the Egyptian side to preserve the peace agreement signed in 1979 and prevent any undesirable escalation,” Sharon added.

According to agreements, Egypt must inform Israel before increasing its troop numbers in the Sinai. In past years, Israel approved several troop increases while the Egyptians fought ISIS terrorists who attempted to take over the peninsula.

Despite the decades-long peace between the countries, former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt, David Govrin, recently said Egypt is still culturally opposed to Israel. “The recognition of the historical right of the Jewish people is closely linked to the issue of normalization between the countries. Without such recognition, there will be no deep-rooted and true reconciliation between the peoples, and without reconciliation, there will be no full normalization,” Govrin explained to Ynet last month.

The increasing reports of tensions between Israel and Egypt also found expression in Egyptian media outlets. In a recent show, Egyptian journalist and talk show host Amr Adeeb, who has supported the military regime of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, jokingly raised the possibility of war against Israel.

“At the current time – and I’m asking you to notice the words, ‘the current time’ – meaning 10:15 p.m. today… we don’t intend to wage war against Israel,” Adeeb said, according to footage shared by Kan News journalist Roee Kais.

In addition, the IDF has repeatedly intercepted attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons from Egypt into Israel in recent months. Last Sunday, the military said it shot down a drone transporting weapons and ammunition while it crossed into Israeli territory.