Explainer: Egypt threatens to end decades-old peace deal with Israel

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JERUSALEM – It was a warm handshake of unlikely statesmen, with President Jimmy Carter's beaming vision. Sunlight streamed through the trees at Camp David, Maryland, as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sealed a landmark agreement that has allowed more than 40 years of peace between Israel and Egypt. It served as an important source of stability in an unstable region.

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This peace was achieved through two Palestinian uprisings and a series of wars between Israel and Hamas. But now that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to send Israeli troops into the Egyptian border town of Rafah in Gaza, the Egyptian government is threatening to scrap the deal.

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See the history of the contract and what can happen if it is cancelled.

HOW IS THE CONTRACT USED?

It was 1977, and Israel's new prime minister, Begin, was opposed to giving up any of the land Israel had conquered a decade earlier in the 1967 Middle East war. These places included the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.

Egypt and Israel fought four major wars in 1973. Therefore, the world was surprised when Egypt's Sadat decided to sever relations with other Arab leaders and establish relations with the Israelis.

The negotiations culminated in the Camp David Accords in September 1978 and a peace accord the following year.

Under the peace treaty, Israel agreed to withdraw from Sinai, and Egypt was to disarm it. Israeli ships were allowed to pass through the main trade route, the Suez Canal. In Israel's first peace agreement with an Arab country, the countries established full diplomatic relations.

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“The Camp David Accords were led by three brave men who took a bold stand because they knew the lasting effects of peace and security then and into the future. That's the kind of leadership we need today, and it's currently in short supply,” said Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of the Carter Center.

WHAT IS THE LOCATION OF EGYPT TODAY?

Two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat told The Associated Press on Sunday that Egypt could suspend the peace deal if Israeli forces invade the town of Rafah.

Netanyahu said Rafah was Hamas' last remaining stronghold after more than four months of war and that sending ground troops was critical to defeating the group.

But Egypt opposes any move that could send desperate Palestinians fleeing across the border into its territory. Rafah also serves as the besieged area's main access point for humanitarian aid, and an Israeli attack could cut off key supplies.

Rafah's population has grown from 280,000 to about 1.4 million as Palestinians flee wars elsewhere in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of these evacuees are living in tent camps.

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Netanyahu ordered the military to prepare a plan to evacuate all Palestinian civilians before the attack. But it is not known where they will go.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that they could return to open spaces in the north. But these areas were hit hard by the Israeli attack.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CONTRACT FAILS?

The treaty severely limits the number of troops on either side of the border, although the countries have previously agreed to modify those agreements in response to specific security threats. This allowed Israel to mobilize its military against other threats.

Along with the war in Gaza, Israel is involved in almost daily clashes with the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its security forces are heavily deployed in the occupied West Bank.

If Egypt rejects the deal, it could mean Israel can no longer rely on its southern border as an oasis of peace. A reinforcement of the forces bordering Egypt will surely confront the Israeli army.

But it will also have serious consequences for Egypt. Egypt received billions of dollars in US military aid after the peace deal.

If the agreement is not valid, this may jeopardize the funding. A massive military effort would strain Egypt's already struggling economy.

Any move to involve Egypt in hostilities would be “disastrous for the entire region,” Alexander said.

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