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Israel Egypt Peace Treaty Explainer
FILE - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the North lawn of the White House as they completed signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in Washington on March, 26, 1979. Egypt has threatened to void its decades-long peace treaty with Israel if Israel begins a large-scale offensive on Rafah, where some 1.4 million Palestinians shelter in densely-packed tent camps on the border with Egypt. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)

Egypt is threatening to void its decades-old peace treaty with Israel. What does that mean?

Egypt has threatened to void its decades-long peace treaty with Israel if Israel begins a large-scale offensive on Rafah, where some 1.4 million Palestinians shelter in densely packed tent camps on the border with Egypt

By JULIA FRANKEL
Published - Feb 12, 2024, 01:00 AM ET
Last Updated - Feb 12, 2024, 01:00 AM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — It was a warm handshake between the unlikeliest of statesmen, conducted under the beaming gaze of President Jimmy Carter. Sunlight streamed through the trees at Camp David, Maryland, as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin solidified a landmark agreement that has allowed over 40 years of peace between Israel and Egypt. It has served as an important source of stability in a volatile region.

That peace has held through two Palestinian uprisings and a series of wars between Israel and Hamas. But now, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to send Israeli troops into Rafah, a city in Gaza on the border with Egypt, the Egyptian government is threatening to void the agreement.

Here's a look at the history of the treaty and what could happen if it is nullified.

HOW DID THE TREATY ORIGINATE?
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