Editor’s Note: Mohamed Nabil el-Bendary is a political science researcher specializing in political change, regional security cooperation, and regional and international relations in the Middle East. This is his first piece for Stimson.
By Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow, Middle East Perspectives
Egypt is facing complex new geopolitical challenges amid the ongoing Gaza war and significant shifts to the international system since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
In January 2025, the U.S. president adopted an unconventional approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling for the removal of Gaza’s two million residents and the enclave’s improbable conversion into a luxury resort. Israeli leaders have shared support for this approach as they continue a campaign against the militant group Hamas that has claimed more than 51,000 lives since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Egypt is seeking to balance its strategic interests by maintaining its historic close relationship with Washington, which includes substantial military and economic aid, while strongly opposing displacement plans that conflict with Cairo’s support of Palestinian rights. This challenge comes at a particularly sensitive time for Egyptian-Israeli relations, which are also witnessing heightened tensions along their border, potentially threatening the stability of the 46-year-old U.S.-brokered peace agreement between the two countries.
Egypt’s relations with the U.S. and Israel have faced numerous challenges since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Differences have intensified over Israeli tactics as well as Trump’s plans, which include the possibility of the United States “taking control” of Gaza before transforming it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
During an extraordinary Arab summit held in Cairo on March 4, 2025, Arab leaders endorsed an alternative Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza – a $53 billion proposal which aims to enable the enclave’s 2.1 million Palestinians to remain in their homes while repairs take place. Cairo presented the plan in an effort to counter Trump’s idea and to retain the possibility of a two-state solution, the international consensus for resolving the Israel-Palestine dispute.
However, the Trump administration swiftly rejected the Egyptian plan. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a press release that “[t]he current proposal does not address the fact that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and that the residents cannot live in a humane manner in an area covered with rubble and unexploded ordnance.”
Trying to bridge the gap, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met on April 8 in Abu Dhabi with Morgan Ortagus, U.S. Deputy Special Representative for the Middle East, and Tim Lenderking, a senior official in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s rejection of Palestinian displacement.
Egypt did not initially go beyond political statements after the outbreak of the Gaza war. However, tensions escalated after Israel took control over the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) corridor on the border with Egypt in an effort to enhance its control and prevent the infiltration of fighters and weapons into Gaza. The move angered Egypt, which has stated that it will not accept an Israeli presence at the Rafah crossing or the Philadelphi Corridor, according to a senior source quoted by the state-owned Cairo News Channel. Yet Israel has escalated its offensive in southern Gaza, seizing an area that had held 250,000 Palestinians and cutting it off from Rafah and the Egyptian border.
Egypt has also bolstered its military presence in the Sinai desert. On April 7, 2025, Israeli media reported that Egypt had deployed Patton and Abrams tanks in Sinai in violation of the 1979 peace treaty. Israel requested that Egypt remove the tanks, while Egyptian officials warned that Egypt would defend its security and sovereignty if Israeli troops invaded its territory.
These developments represent the most serious threat to date to the peace treaty and Egyptian-Israeli relations.
In February 2025, Egyptian officials informed the United States that the peace treaty would be at risk if Israel and the United States carried out threats of mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. It is worth noting that a leaked Israeli intelligence document, dated October 13, 2023, proposed relocating Gaza’s civilian population initially to tent cities in northern Sinai before building permanent cities and establishing a security zone to prevent displaced Palestinians from re-entering.
Egypt has a long-standing position against the displacement of Palestinians in general, and from Gaza in particular. This position is rooted in Egypt’s consistent support for the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state in Gaza and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital. This principle has been articulated by successive Egyptian presidents, starting with President Gamal Abdel Nasser and continuing under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
During a meeting in Cairo on April 7, President el-Sisi, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordanian King Abdullah II, called for the need to restore a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately release all hostages and detainees. The leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan reaffirmed this position in a joint phone call with President Trump that took place on the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington.
Egypt’s position is rooted in its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which promised diplomatic recognition of Israel in return for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Egypt also seeks to safeguard its national security and prevent potential threats that could arise from allowing large numbers of Palestinians, including Islamic militants, to enter Egypt. In addition, popular sentiment in Egypt strongly supports Palestinian rights. If Egypt were to accept hosting Palestinians in Sinai, even on a temporary basis, this decision would likely trigger widespread public protests that could destabilize Egypt internally and undermine Cairo’s role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel.
Egypt has played a key role during military confrontations between the Israel and Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Egyptian mediation has led to agreements between the parties to restore and maintain calm for extended periods and support reconstruction efforts.
In January 2025, Egypt, in collaboration with Qatar and the United States, succeeded in facilitating a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. However, the truce did not last long, and fighting resumed. As a result, Egypt is once again working to mediate an end to the war.
Egypt’s mediation role underscores its desire to prevent an escalation of tensions with Tel Aviv as well as to preserve its historic strategic relationship with the United States. This is a highly sensitive position, requiring Egypt to skillfully navigate complex regional and international dynamics while maintaining its national interests and diplomatic credibility.
Reflecting Israel’s recognition of Egypt’s role, on March 4, then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed Israel’s commitment to the 1979 peace treaty and stated that Tel Aviv would not allow any “violation” of the accord. Collapse of the treaty would not only remove the first and most important Arab Israeli peace agreement but would likely jeopardize Israel’s diplomatic ties with other Arab countries under the Abraham Accords.
Still, Egypt finds itself in a delicate position, striving to maintain strategic relations with the Trump administration and remain the recipient of $1.3 billion in annual aid, while retaining a firm commitment to Palestinian rights. The future will show whether Cairo possesses the political and diplomatic tools necessary to de-escalate the conflict, safeguard its strategic interests, and reject arrangements that would threaten its national security or redraw the regional map at its expense.
Mohamed Nabil El Bendary is a political researcher at InteRregional for Strategic Analysis, a consulting firm based in Abu Dhabi, where he focuses on geopolitical changes and their impact on the Middle East.
Egypt’s Delicate Balance: Maintaining US Support While Confronting Gaza Challenges
By Mohamed Nabil El Bendary
Middle East & North Africa
Editor’s Note: Mohamed Nabil el-Bendary is a political science researcher specializing in political change, regional security cooperation, and regional and international relations in the Middle East. This is his first piece for Stimson.
By Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow, Middle East Perspectives
Egypt is facing complex new geopolitical challenges amid the ongoing Gaza war and significant shifts to the international system since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
In January 2025, the U.S. president adopted an unconventional approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling for the removal of Gaza’s two million residents and the enclave’s improbable conversion into a luxury resort. Israeli leaders have shared support for this approach as they continue a campaign against the militant group Hamas that has claimed more than 51,000 lives since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Egypt is seeking to balance its strategic interests by maintaining its historic close relationship with Washington, which includes substantial military and economic aid, while strongly opposing displacement plans that conflict with Cairo’s support of Palestinian rights. This challenge comes at a particularly sensitive time for Egyptian-Israeli relations, which are also witnessing heightened tensions along their border, potentially threatening the stability of the 46-year-old U.S.-brokered peace agreement between the two countries.
Egypt’s relations with the U.S. and Israel have faced numerous challenges since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Differences have intensified over Israeli tactics as well as Trump’s plans, which include the possibility of the United States “taking control” of Gaza before transforming it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
During an extraordinary Arab summit held in Cairo on March 4, 2025, Arab leaders endorsed an alternative Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza – a $53 billion proposal which aims to enable the enclave’s 2.1 million Palestinians to remain in their homes while repairs take place. Cairo presented the plan in an effort to counter Trump’s idea and to retain the possibility of a two-state solution, the international consensus for resolving the Israel-Palestine dispute.
However, the Trump administration swiftly rejected the Egyptian plan. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a press release that “[t]he current proposal does not address the fact that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and that the residents cannot live in a humane manner in an area covered with rubble and unexploded ordnance.”
Trying to bridge the gap, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met on April 8 in Abu Dhabi with Morgan Ortagus, U.S. Deputy Special Representative for the Middle East, and Tim Lenderking, a senior official in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s rejection of Palestinian displacement.
Egypt did not initially go beyond political statements after the outbreak of the Gaza war. However, tensions escalated after Israel took control over the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) corridor on the border with Egypt in an effort to enhance its control and prevent the infiltration of fighters and weapons into Gaza. The move angered Egypt, which has stated that it will not accept an Israeli presence at the Rafah crossing or the Philadelphi Corridor, according to a senior source quoted by the state-owned Cairo News Channel. Yet Israel has escalated its offensive in southern Gaza, seizing an area that had held 250,000 Palestinians and cutting it off from Rafah and the Egyptian border.
Egypt has also bolstered its military presence in the Sinai desert. On April 7, 2025, Israeli media reported that Egypt had deployed Patton and Abrams tanks in Sinai in violation of the 1979 peace treaty. Israel requested that Egypt remove the tanks, while Egyptian officials warned that Egypt would defend its security and sovereignty if Israeli troops invaded its territory.
These developments represent the most serious threat to date to the peace treaty and Egyptian-Israeli relations.
In February 2025, Egyptian officials informed the United States that the peace treaty would be at risk if Israel and the United States carried out threats of mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. It is worth noting that a leaked Israeli intelligence document, dated October 13, 2023, proposed relocating Gaza’s civilian population initially to tent cities in northern Sinai before building permanent cities and establishing a security zone to prevent displaced Palestinians from re-entering.
Egypt has a long-standing position against the displacement of Palestinians in general, and from Gaza in particular. This position is rooted in Egypt’s consistent support for the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state in Gaza and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital. This principle has been articulated by successive Egyptian presidents, starting with President Gamal Abdel Nasser and continuing under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
During a meeting in Cairo on April 7, President el-Sisi, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordanian King Abdullah II, called for the need to restore a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately release all hostages and detainees. The leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan reaffirmed this position in a joint phone call with President Trump that took place on the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington.
Egypt’s position is rooted in its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which promised diplomatic recognition of Israel in return for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Egypt also seeks to safeguard its national security and prevent potential threats that could arise from allowing large numbers of Palestinians, including Islamic militants, to enter Egypt. In addition, popular sentiment in Egypt strongly supports Palestinian rights. If Egypt were to accept hosting Palestinians in Sinai, even on a temporary basis, this decision would likely trigger widespread public protests that could destabilize Egypt internally and undermine Cairo’s role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel.
Egypt has played a key role during military confrontations between the Israel and Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Egyptian mediation has led to agreements between the parties to restore and maintain calm for extended periods and support reconstruction efforts.
In January 2025, Egypt, in collaboration with Qatar and the United States, succeeded in facilitating a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. However, the truce did not last long, and fighting resumed. As a result, Egypt is once again working to mediate an end to the war.
Egypt’s mediation role underscores its desire to prevent an escalation of tensions with Tel Aviv as well as to preserve its historic strategic relationship with the United States. This is a highly sensitive position, requiring Egypt to skillfully navigate complex regional and international dynamics while maintaining its national interests and diplomatic credibility.
Reflecting Israel’s recognition of Egypt’s role, on March 4, then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed Israel’s commitment to the 1979 peace treaty and stated that Tel Aviv would not allow any “violation” of the accord. Collapse of the treaty would not only remove the first and most important Arab Israeli peace agreement but would likely jeopardize Israel’s diplomatic ties with other Arab countries under the Abraham Accords.
Still, Egypt finds itself in a delicate position, striving to maintain strategic relations with the Trump administration and remain the recipient of $1.3 billion in annual aid, while retaining a firm commitment to Palestinian rights. The future will show whether Cairo possesses the political and diplomatic tools necessary to de-escalate the conflict, safeguard its strategic interests, and reject arrangements that would threaten its national security or redraw the regional map at its expense.
Mohamed Nabil El Bendary is a political researcher at InteRregional for Strategic Analysis, a consulting firm based in Abu Dhabi, where he focuses on geopolitical changes and their impact on the Middle East.
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