Why is Egypt against Israel in the international court?

Last Updated on May 28, 2024 1:30 pm

South Africa has filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing it of genocide in Gaza. Egypt has announced to join the case.

According to Al Jazeera sources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt said in a statement on May 12 that the Israeli forces are killing civilian Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, destroying civilian infrastructure, and disobeying the interim order of the ICZ. This is why Cairo is taking a position against Israel in the ICJ.

Those concerned say that Egypt’s announcement is a sign of withdrawing from the Camp David peace agreement signed with Israel in 1979.

The Camp David Peace Accords with Egypt in 1979 gave Israel the opportunity to establish diplomatic relations with an Arab country for the first time. In addition, Egypt is said to be the link of the countries with which the Muslim majority population of the Middle East and North Africa have established relations.

Last Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop the operation in Rafah. But ignoring that order, the Israeli forces attacked Rafah within a few minutes. Some Israeli ministers have also announced that they will not obey the orders of ICZ.

Earlier, International Criminal Court (ICC) Counsel Karim Khan requested the issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant for possible genocide in Gaza, which is strongly criticized by Israeli policy makers.

What is the reason for such a move in Egypt?

Egypt is being so tough thinking about their future. Sahira Amin, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a non-governmental organization working on international relations, believes that if Israel launches a major attack on Rafah, Egypt will be forced to open the Rafah crossing to shelter Palestinians under internal and external pressure. Millions of Palestinians could then cross the border and take refuge in Egypt’s Sinai Valley. If that happens, Israel will never allow those Palestinians to return to Gaza. If such a situation happens, it will be a big challenge for Egypt.

In addition, Hamas members will take refuge in the Sinai Valley with the Palestinians. Then Hamas can attack Israel from the Rafah area of Sinai and Egypt. If Israel also counterattacks, Egypt-Israel war situation will be created at some point.

Another area of concern for Egypt is that some areas on the Israel-Egypt border are designated as ‘C’ and ‘D’ according to the Camp David Agreement. According to the agreement, the two countries will not make any military presence in these areas. Again, in some areas, military presence beyond a certain number or amount is prohibited. If you want to make any temporary or permanent changes in these areas, it should be done in mutual coordination between the two countries. Cairo fears that these terms of the agreement will be violated if Israel conducts a full-scale Rafah operation. Then the question will arise about the survival of the agreement.

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not moving from his position even though Egypt has taken a stand against Israel. He said the operation would continue until Hamas was eliminated in Gaza. He also decided to raid Rafa.

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