Egypt is making moves in the Sinai Peninsula and also seeking to shore up its support abroad. It has close ties in the Gulf, and recent reports indicate it is also reaching out to Turkey, with Ankara and Cairo set to hold their first joint military drill in years.
The US and Egypt also held a joint exercise called Bright Star from late August to early September. It has taken place 19 times before, so this is a regular event for Egypt.
What is not normal are the new tensions with Israel. Reports indicate that Jerusalem is concerned about an Egyptian military buildup in Sinai.
“In Egypt’s first official comment on its military deployment in Sinai, Cairo revealed the objectives of the armed forces’ presence in the peninsula,” the UAE-based Al-Ain media reported on Sunday. “The Egyptian State Information Service, the official body authorized to communicate with foreign media, issued a statement regarding reports circulating on some international websites and media outlets regarding the presence of armed forces in the Sinai Peninsula.”
The Egyptians have confirmed that “the forces present in Sinai originally aimed to secure the Egyptian border against all threats, including terrorist operations and smuggling, within the framework of prior coordination with the parties to the peace treaty.”
The report goes on to say that “Egypt stressed its absolute commitment to the continuation of peace treaties, given that throughout its history, it has never violated a treaty or agreement.”
Cairo opposes Israel’s expanded military operations in Gaza and has also been critical of any attempt to “displace” Palestinians from Gaza. Egypt does not want Palestinians being pushed into Sinai. It doesn’t want Sinai destabilized as it was a decade ago, after the many extremist groups infiltrated Sinai following the Arab Spring, leading to it becoming an increasing zone of insurgency.
Keeping Sinai quiet
The peninsula has been quieter lately, and Cairo wants to keep it that way.
“On another note, Egypt reiterated its absolute rejection of expanding military operations in Gaza and the displacement of Palestinians from their lands and its support for the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state based on the two-state solution on the lands of June 4, 1967, with east Jerusalem as its capital,” Al-Ain noted.
In August, the US embassy in Egypt noted, “The multinational military exercise Bright Star 25, co-hosted by US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Egyptian Armed Forces/Egyptian Training Authority, officially kicked off this week with an opening ceremony at Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Egypt on August 28. The exercise is a clear demonstration of the United States’ unwavering and enduring commitment to partner with the Egyptian Armed Forces and other nations to ensure mutual safety and security.”
On September 18, Greek media said, “Turkish and Egyptian forces are holding joint naval and air exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean next week, their first in 13 years, Turkey’s Defense Ministry has said.” The drill is called Friendship Sea, or “Bahr El Sadaka,” and will take place from September 22 to 26.
While Israel may want the Trump administration’s support for issues regarding Egypt, Cairo sent Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to New York on Sunday to participate in the High-level Meetings of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Egypt is also doing outreach to Pakistan. “During his meeting with Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo Aamir Shouket, Egyptian Minister of Military Production Mohamed Salah El-Din said that Egypt is looking forward to opening new strategic partnerships with Pakistani military production companies to enhance mutual benefits for both countries,” Egypt Today noted.
The goal of Egypt is to shore up support from the Gulf, Turkey, and Pakistan while also speaking at the UN and making sure that the Gaza war does not spill over into Sinai.