Cairo – Discussions regarding the border strip of the Philadelphia Corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt have resurfaced following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration on the need for complete control over the corridor, nearly three months after a war that failed to achieve its declared goals.
During a Saturday evening press conference, Netanyahu stated, "The Philadelphia Corridor must be under our control and must be closed; it's clear that any other arrangement will not guarantee the disarmament we seek."
These statements confirm what has been circulated in the Israeli media about the government's intention to reoccupy the border strip and establish a buffer zone, raising questions about the purpose of such a move, its legality, and Cairo's response options.
#Netanyahu: The Philadelphia Corridor must be under our control#AlJazeera_Direct
— Al Jazeera Direct (@ajmubasher) December 30, 2023
Border Tensions and Egyptian Silence
There has been no official Egyptian response yet to Netanyahu's statements, which serve as a clear pronouncement from Israel's highest political authority on Tel Aviv's desire to regain control of the Philadelphia Corridor, deemed instrumental in the transit of weapons to the Palestinian resistance.
Since December 13th, Israeli forces have launched at least two attacks on the border area between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, under the pretext of destroying tunnels used by resistance groups for arms smuggling.
Following the initial military operation, Egyptian Parliament member Mostafa Bakri (aligned with the regime), warned via platform X about what he termed a "dangerous development,” possibly prompting "an explosive situation between Egypt and Israel… The strikes are a few meters away from the Egyptian border… The enemy is overstepping with its schemes… Egypt's borders are a red line."
The Israeli army has just launched an attack along the Egyptian-Palestinian border on the Philadelphia axis, claiming to destroy tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. This is a serious development that may lead to an explosive situation between Egypt and Israel, with strikes occurring just a few meters from the Egyptian border. The enemy intensifies its plots. Egypt's borders are a red line.
— Mustafa Bakri (@BakryMP) December 13, 2023
An Israeli Scapegoat
Recently, the Israeli media has fueled discussions over retaking control or launching attacks on the "Philadelphia" corridor. A reporter questioned Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant at a December 13th press conference, asking if Egypt’s pressure was the reason why Israel had not conducted a military operation along the Philadelphia line.
Galant replied that they operate according to their schedule, "which is good and progressing," emphasizing that they act everywhere in Gaza and do not dictate to their army what actions to take, dismissing any suggestion of Israeli pressure.
He clarified that the Philadelphia Corridor is among the military interests and considerations for eliminating military power that currently and potentially poses a threat and aims to render the Gaza Strip disarmed.
Galant: Only the IDF determines what actions to take (Al Jazeera)
Statements of a Crisis
Amidst repeat Israeli attacks, Cairo News Channel (state-affiliated) conveyed from informed Egyptian sources a denial of Hebrew media reports about Israeli tanks initiating a ground operation from Kerem Shalom towards the Philadelphia Corridor along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Strategically, military analyst and member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, General Munir Hamed, deemed Netanyahu's statements as ones of a desperate nature, directed towards Israeli domestic audiences, "since this corridor has a special status in the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, and any military movement there would breach the military protocol tied to the Camp David Accords, and also go against the security understandings between the countries."
Discussing Egypt’s options to counter such movements, he stressed to Al Jazeera Net that Egypt would not permit military operations along the border that could impact its national security, affirming Egypt's capability to secure its borders. He remarked that Netanyahu would not dare to violate the peace treaty and exacerbate open fronts to the north and south, further complicating the situation.
Regarding Egypt's silence on Netanyahu's statements, the military analyst explained that the current situation in Israel is politically and militarily chaotic. "However, Egypt's policy is wise and backed by a capacity for restraint and adherence to international law, without succumbing to provocative stances, while also securing its international borders against any aggression or incursion."
What Are Egypt's Options for Response?
Politically, Cairo University's Professor of Political Science, Mustafa Kamel Sayed, considers the Israeli ambition to control the Philadelphia Corridor a serious matter. Any military activity along the border strip risks imperiling the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, which incorporates a military annex specifying the status of the corridor and not permitting such actions, Therefore, Israeli military mobilization would signify a breach of the peace treaty.
Sayed believes Egypt will address the U.S. administration regarding these irresponsible statements, holding it accountable for upholding and protecting the peace treaty, including the military annex associated with the Philadelphia Corridor. Washington, he suggests, is determined to prevent a significant violation of the agreement at a time when it is pursuing the expansion of peace treaties with regional countries.
He ruled out that Egypt might freeze the peace agreement due to several factors related to:
- Maintaining contact with Israel to stop the Gaza war.
- Facilitating humanitarian aid.
- Mediating between the resistance movements and Israel.
Sayed elaborated that freezing the peace agreement is not a war proclamation but would align Egypt adversarially with Israel, tying its hands from assisting the Gaza Strip. He highlighted that Egypt would exert diplomatic pressure to prevent Israeli military intervention in the area, as no one wishes to place Egypt in a situation where it might be forced to deploy its armed forces should its national security be threatened.
"The Underworld"
The "Salah ad-Din" or "Philadelphia" Corridor is a 14-kilometer border strip separating Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip from the Sinai Peninsula, representing a strategic security area governed by a bilateral Egyptian-Israeli agreement and contested by three powers: Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian resistance movement (Hamas).
The buffer area, known as the "Philadelphia Corridor" or "Salah ad-Din Axis," emerged following the 1979 Camp David Accords, which mandated the creation of a buffer zone along the borders of the parties involved.
Learn about the Philadelphia Corridor where Israel has begun implementing a ground incursion#AlJazeera_Board #Gaza_War
— Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) December 24, 2023
Following the signing of the "Philadelphia Agreement" between Israel and Egypt in September 2005, which Israel considers a security annex to the 1979 peace treaty, Israel withdrew from the "Philadelphia" axis and transferred control, including the Rafah crossing, to the Palestinian Authority.
At the end of 2013, Egyptian authorities tightened control over the border region, constructing a steel barrier intended to prevent the infiltration of "militants" and "extremists". Later, a perpendicular channel was excavated from the north coast to the Rafah crossing to create a 5-kilometer buffer zone aimed at eradicating the tunnels along the "Philadelphia" axis.
