Something just isn’t right with Egypt. The situation is starting to smell bad. Like when you have that one piece of leftover fish from Friday night, but now it’s Wednesday, you’re hungry, and there’s nothing else to eat. The situation isn’t looking so good. Same thing (in a way). 

Israel entered the 20-Point Peace Plan, in which Egypt is the most significant partner (being on the border with Gaza), but now, many weeks later, there are indications that something rotten has taken hold.

To argue this point, I decided to offer a slightly different take on what’s going on, something a little more on the biblical side if you will, regarding Egypt’s new stance.  Last week, I came upon something interesting while studying the issue. According to the opinion of our sages, at the end of days, Egypt betrays its peace plan with Israel by forming a coordinated attack on its borders. So what would lead me to believe that it refers to today’s Middle East specifically, and not, let’s say, the Yom Kippur War?

It’s written there (Talmud – Sotah) that in the future God will wait until all of Egypt’s actions of betrayal against the Jewish Nation are thoroughly carried out, then take revenge on them on behalf of Israel. The word used for this process is “Sassah,” referring, in this case, to the leader of Egypt (which sounds very familiar). The passage goes on to say that he will conduct one final attack on Israel —the 3rd and last in a series that began with his predecessor, the biblical Pharaoh approximately 3330 years ago —and that Israel will then be completely victorious.  Egypt and its partners will lose all that they have gained. 

When will this potential attack take place? It states, without much ambiguity, that it will be towards the end of Sisi’s reign in Egypt. It’s interesting to note that Sisi’s term as President began in 2014 and was supposed to end years ago officially, but he deliberately put in place a law that would allow him to run until 2030. So, while formulating new deals with Israel for a future oil pipeline, etc., Sisi has been slowly building up his army in the meantime. This latest military posture, combined with their participation in the international stabilization force that will ostensibly occupy Gaza (for at least the next 2 years) must surely be a source of consternation for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet, who apparently didn’t even get the memo regarding the proposed UNSC resolution on the matter that was submitted by the US last week. If/when it is approved, it means boots on the ground for Egypt inside Gaza.

Sisi, a retired military officer, appears to be growing frustrated with the restrictions imposed on him by the Camp David Accords signed with Israel in 1979. Fast forward 45 years, and Egypt now has a formidable military presence on Israel’s border.  He appears to be playing a complicated game of duplicity with President Trump, Israel, and the Peace Plan. To wit, more than 200 km along the Egyptian border have recently been declared, for the first time since the Yom Kippur War, as an entirely restricted military, no-fly zone (references below), and not just for the purposes of intercepting drones from entering Israeli territory. It would appear that there’s more to it. Something’s starting to smell rotten over there.

I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Minnesota Congresswoman and former Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann speak publicly about this issue, and I strongly encourage everyone reading this to do the same. What a powerhouse – and so unapologetic. She’s like the female version of my friend, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, both being Evangelical Christians and very pro-Israel. In fact, in my recent Moskoff-Media interview with him, Huckabee says that in his view, Hamas represents the present-day Amalekites as described in the bible, and therefore must be totally eradicated. 

At the risk of sounding overly dogmatic, the Talmud also points out something quite surprising, even astonishing. It says over there that present-day Egyptians are actually direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians in the famous story of the Exodus (as opposed to the so-called Palestinians that came about as a result of the Oslo Accords, and have nothing to do with the biblical Philistines, the remainder of which were just about obsolete by King David’s time. 

Now let’s bring in the facts. The reality on the ground indicates that the sheer number of soldiers deployed beyond the limits and locations outlined in the Accords are far beyond whatever could be justified by the Egyptian claim that “we’re fighting ISIS”.  Furthermore, I argue that there are no defensive purposes for any of the following points (as compiled here using references from the CIA Reading Room, Defense Security Asia, JISS, and other open-source intelligence assessments): 

• The alleged purchase and deployment of Chinese-made HQ-9B air defense systems (radars and missiles) by Egypt at El-Arish, placed right next to Rafah
• Details (numbers and equipment) of Egyptian deployment outside the terms of the treaty
• Similarly, Egypt has expanded its military infrastructure well beyond the limits set by the security annex
• And last but not least, (and here’s a beauty) – Israel is concerned about all the Egyptian deployments and complains to the US administration… and President Sisi is worried that Israel will go in and kill Hamas inside Egypt

Despite these points, Israel is entirely safe, and even more so while President Trump is in office. Although a hardcore dealmaker, in the end, he has our back, along with our own Prime Minister. I remember hearing Mr. Netanyahu at the Economic Forum in Basel, going back over 10 years ago. In the interview, he was asked how he would like to be remembered. His reply was classic and unforgettable: “I would like to be remembered as the Protector of Israel… the Protector of Israel.” I was so proud right then. President Trump has called him a war hero, and (certainly in reference to Iran) I would agree with him.

However, we can’t ignore the new trend of the Western world, which is turning to accept the narratives of people like the new mayor of New York City, Mr. Mad-mani (did I get that spelling right?), who is also playing a game of duplicity. He has stated that there is no room for antisemitism in New York, while at the same time indicating that only Jews who are willing to deny their own identity and faith by disavowing Israel and Zionism will be accepted as true citizens of New York. In short, it’s akin in many ways to asking New Yorkers to reject God Himself.  And for what? All in the name of …….. “equality?” 

The good news is that a new trend —a counter-trend—is forming at the grassroots level in Israel. Secular Israeli soldiers, during and after their army service, are talking about Shabbat and other religious observances, and it’s becoming a “thing.” I know this through my own children who are there. It’s uncanny. Apparently, shortly after the remaining hostages were freed, there has been a thirst among young people to know what’s going on from a more spiritual perspective, behind the scenes (as it were). We see this even in the local media (for the first time, Channel 14 has better ratings than its secular news counterparts).

Irrespective of what transpired in the end with Egypt and Mamdani for example, the future holds great things for Israel, including definitive victories over all opponents because, at the end of the day, the fight is ultimately a spiritual one. The more profound connection to the Holy Land and the struggle for the biblical right of Israelis to live there, combined with the conviction that Israel is the one, distinct Jewish national homeland, will surely provide all the strength needed to overcome any of these possible threats in the future.