As Egypt prepares to mark 51 years since its last war with Israel, the emphasis is on the combat readiness of Egypt’s armed forces. The military campaign that began on 6 October 1973 took the Israeli army by surprise, launched in the middle of the day in the holy month of Ramadan.
Ultimately, it opened the door for the return of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt's north-easternmost territory, which shares borders with Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Israelis had occupied both the Sinai and Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, when they inflicted a painful defeat on Egypt and Syria when, over six days, Israel destroyed Egypt’s entire air force and pushed it out of the Sinai.
Regaining self-respect
The result in 1973 brought confidence back to the Egyptians and to the Arab world more generally, after the trauma, scars, and ‘loss of face’ in 1967. Veterans of that war have spoken of the bitterness and shame it inflicted on them, with many saying they felt so bad about it that they could not face talking to people on the street for a long time after.
Read more: The 1967 Naksa relived through the memoirs of Abdel Nasser’s top generals
The fighting in October 1973 renewed the self-worth and self-respect of Egyptians and Arabs and caused ructions in a region where Israel was projecting itself as an invincible power with plans to occupy territory from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean.
More than half a century later, recent developments have portended a new regional order. Israel has destroyed most of Gaza in its quest to 'eliminate Hamas' and is currently doing something similar with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
No blessing for Gaza
On 27 September 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the floor at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and held up two maps of the Middle East. One he called 'The Blessing', the other he labelled 'The Curse'. The latter included Iran and the states it had influence over, whereas the former included the states Israel had normalised relations with, including Egypt. It was a stunt, and Egyptians were not impressed.
Although they signed a peace treaty in 1979, there are significant current tensions between Cairo and Tel Aviv, that may determine the course of bilateral relations for many years. The discord related to Gaza. In the initial weeks of Israel's ground invasion, Egypt feared that Israel's ultimate intention was to displace the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, pushing them into the Sinai. Efforts to prevent this have paid off—for now.
Read more: Why Egypt rejects a Palestinian population transfer from Gaza
Relocating to Sinai
There are still concerns, however, that Israel's long-term objective is the removal of Gaza's two million citizens from the Strip. "The displacement scenario is on the table in Israel now and will be so for many years to come," said Gamal Salama, a political science professor at Suez Canal University.
Speaking to Al Majalla, he added: "Those who think that Israel will give up its territorial expansion dreams one day do not embrace the fullness of reality."
If that happens, it will roll back the Sinai's hard-won liberation, reverse the wins of 51 years ago, and threaten the 1979 peace treaty, which many see as a cornerstone of regional stability. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has warned that Egypt would not tolerate the displacement of Palestinians into the Sinai, adding that this was "a red line" for his country.
