The US Congress is set to address Egyptian violations of the peace agreement with Israel for the first time following the persistent deployment of Egyptian military forces in the Sinai Peninsula in large numbers. This sensitive matter will initially be examined in a closed forum of Republican congressional members during their weekend gathering in Washington.
During this retreat, congressional members formulate their policy agenda and identify priority issues for the next two years. These discussions typically lead to subsequent hearings and legislative proposals based on the selected topics.
Israel Hayom has exclusively learned that one of the key agenda items addresses mounting concerns over the expanding presence of Egyptian military forces in Sinai, which violates the security annex of the 1979 peace agreement. The discussion item states that "Egypt is substantially violating the Camp David Accords through the deployment of forces and movement of tanks into Sinai. This poses a strategic threat to Israel's southern border, and specifically falls under US responsibility as the agreement's guarantor."
The agenda item also calls for a review of US economic assistance to Egypt in light of its military presence in Sinai. "American funding to Egypt must be reevaluated based on these agreements. Egypt must be presented with a timeline for withdrawing its forces from the peninsula," the policy proposal states.
House Speaker Mike Johnson authorized discussion of this sensitive topic after pro-Israel sources highlighted the issue. In Israel, there is widespread concern regarding the Egyptian military buildup, the introduction of forces into Sinai, and the Egyptian army's designation of its "reference threat" as a "threat from the east," namely Israel. A senior IDF source recently told Israel Hayom that Sinai serves as an adequate buffer zone in the improbable event of Egyptian aggression against Israel.
Israeli officials exercise extreme caution when addressing Egypt, noting the large nation's dependence on Israeli gas supplies for its energy needs.
Nevertheless, the extensive ammunition discoveries in the Gaza Strip during the war and Hamas' firepower during the surprise attack have raised questions about Egypt's role – whether through official channels or legal circumvention – in Hamas's weapons acquisition over the years.
