Israeli lawmaker from Netanyahu’s party incites against Egyptian army over Sinai drills

A Knesset member from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has issued inflammatory remarks against the Egyptian army over military drills in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

“The exercises and live-fire drills that the Egyptian army announced it will conduct on our border, just 100 meters from communities near the frontier, are nothing but a display of a broader and more alarming picture,” Amit Halevi said in a recorded statement on Monday.

He alleged that Egypt is “systematically” violating its decades-old peace treaty with Israel, claiming that Cairo is “building combat infrastructure in Sinai and constructing a large, modern army.”

“The paper the agreement was signed on will not protect (Israel) from danger and will not protect residents,” he added.

Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in Washington in 1979 following the Camp David Accords a year earlier, which included provisions on ending the state of war, normalizing relations, Israel’s full withdrawal from Sinai, and limitations on military presence in the peninsula.

Halevi said the Israeli army must “change its approach and deploy forces in a completely different manner on the southern front,” urging Israel to “respond firmly and with all available political tools to any such violation.”

He also warned against ignoring what he described as “evolving strategic threats,” referencing the Oct. 7, 2023 events.

There was no comment from the Egyptian army on the drills or Halevi’s remarks as of yet.

-Israeli escalatory narrative

Israeli media reports suggested the information about the Egyptian military drills originated mainly from the Israeli side through existing security coordination mechanisms between the two countries.

The drills in Sinai are generally considered part of routine or intensified military activity, with Egypt adhering to coordination frameworks under the Camp David Accords.

Israel’s i24News channel reported Sunday that security officials and Israeli occupiers near the Egyptian border were “angry” after learning about the Egyptian military drills about 100 meters from the border.

“This is a painful reminder of how our enemy conducted drills near the fence before Oct. 7. We warn again against creating dangerous standards that led us there. We call on the political leadership to stop the drills,” the channel quoted the “Israel Envelope Forum,” representing communities near Gaza, as saying.

Channel 7 also reported that occupiers and security officials near the Egyptian border received an “unusual and concerning” message from the Israeli army warning of intensified Egyptian military activity.

According to the message, Egypt planned to conduct live-fire drills between April 26 and 30 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, in areas close to the border.

Inflammatory rhetoric

Over the past two years, Israeli right-wing figures have repeatedly escalated rhetoric against Egypt’s military presence in Sinai.

Since 2024, such statements have increased, particularly among far-right politicians and officials, describing Egyptian deployments as “violations” of the Camp David agreement or a “potential threat.”

This rhetoric has included calls for US pressure on Egypt to scale back its military presence, alongside allegations of building “offensive infrastructure” such as airstrips, ports and tunnels.

It has also featured warnings from analysts and media linking Egyptian military activities to potential ground conflict scenarios or comparisons to the October 2023 events.

Among the most notable remarks, Netanyahu reportedly warned on Feb. 5 about the growing capabilities of the Egyptian army, calling to prevent “excessive buildup” during a closed session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also repeatedly attacked Egypt, at one point describing it as an “enemy state” and accusing it of “undermining Israel’s security” - remarks rejected by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry as “crossing red lines.”

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul