Smotrich renews threats against Egypt, saying ‘there will be no Sinai’

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has renewed his threats against Cairo, questioning President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s assurances that the country has no territorial ambitions and does not seek war with Israel, and warning that it could lose the Sinai Peninsula.

Smotrich said he is not reassured by Sisi’s statements, adding that Israel would ensure Cairo does not attack it if it understood, in his words, that “the next time they attack, there will be no Sinai”.

The remarks follow an earlier controversy over Smotrich’s comments about the peninsula. In a video interview, he said Egypt would lose Sinai if it attacked Israel.

Cairo rejected the Israeli minister’s remarks, describing them as “empty threats” and affirming its ability to protect its territory and independence.

Sisi responded to the Israeli statements during the 44th Armed Forces cultural seminar, held last week to mark the 53rd anniversary of the October War victories.

“Who told you we want to fight? We have no agenda against anyone. We have our land. We fought for it, regained it, and that was the end of it,” he said.

The president stressed that his country had fought to defend its territory and had regained all its land, adding that its priorities are protecting national security and stability and safeguarding the interests of its people. He also said the peace treaty with Israel remains the framework governing relations between the two countries.

In his speech, Sisi presented the two-state solution as a path towards long-term stability through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, with the rights of both sides respected.

Smotrich also addressed the Gaza Strip, saying its residents had been taught to hate Israel and calling for their hope to be “cut off”.