Egypt With Conflicting War-Type Attitude Towards Jews Since Days of Pharaohs

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

The word is out that Egypt is preparing for war with Israel.  They evidently have never trusted Jews since the days of the Pharaoh who dealt with Jacob, Joseph's father.  When Jacob met the pharaoh, he was given land in Goshen but asked to tend the Pharaoh's few cattle as well as his own flock and he agreed.  Later, with a future pharaoh when Moses came into the picture, this pharaoh agreed to let the people of Moses go, but then changed his mind when he saw that they amounted to his whole workforce of 6 million, and chased after them, ending up in the Sea, drowned.               

Captured Egyptian M22 Locust tank, given as a compromise to Negba in 1953, preserved in the kibbutz.  A story told to me by the American born principal of Safed's high school was that a lone girl on a kibbutz in 1948 held off a tank during the battle with her rifle, and did the job.  They kept the tank on their grounds.            

Egypt fought against Israel when Israel was first was created in 1948, and then against them on 1956 in the Oct. 29-Nov. 5 1956 Sinai Operation.  Israel was circled by Egypt, Jordan and Syria and also hoping to eliminate marauder bases in the GAZA STRIP.  In a few days, Israel conquered the strip and most of Sinai Peninsula where they found a stone bearing Aramaic inscription in Nabatean characters.  

It was in 1967 that Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria had another war that may have only lasted 6 days, but which had everlasting consequences for them all.  This had started with 2 years of tension due to sabotage activities inside Israel and  border incidents, mostly due the Syrians, who were interested in involving the other Arab states in a further war with Israel.                       

            Jordanian Tanks on Israeli border June 4, 1967

Egypt's President Nasser, fearful of Israel retaliation and planning to deflect his army into the Sinai peninsula, acted on May 15, 1967 by demanding the removal of the UN troops who had been posted along the Gaza Strip and at Sharm e-Sheikh; and when the UN secretary-general, U Thant, immediately acceded, Nasser decreed a blockade of the Straits of Tiran so that no Israeli shipping would be permitted to go to the Port of Elath.            

A column of Egyptian tanks moves into Sinai May 7, 1967 and stayed

Israel tried diplomacy but Nasser  moved 100,000 men and 1,000 tanks into Sinai while the other Arab states rapidly made their preparations and held a unified attack on Israel to have a mass gang attack on Israel.  In a preemptive move, Israel surprised them all and struck on June 5th.  The rest is very interesting history ! I notice that De Gaulle of France, friendly to Israel before, had adopted an outright anti-Israel stance.  

Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth overall and current president of Egypt since 2014.  It is referred to as a militant government.  While a member of the Supreme Council, he made controversial statements regarding allegations that Egyptian soldiers had subjected detained female demonstrators to forced virginity tests. He is reported to have told Egypt's state-owned newspaper that "the virginity-test procedure was done to protect the girls from rape, as well as to protect the soldiers and officers from rape accusations". He was the first member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to admit that the invasive tests had been carried out.

Notice that Egypt does not want anything to do with the Muslim Brotherhood.  Sisi's government is strictly against it, and yet, they are not helping Israel at all even though Hamas terrorists  are Muslim Brotherhood products.  So Egypt is not at war at the moment but intends to keep Hamas out !               

Since October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Egypt's government has seen Israel's tanks once again and are again fearful, thus war preparation---just in case...

Egyptians are not allowed to leave Egypt and visit other countries without having a special pass which is almost impossible to procure, especially to Israel.  They would dub you as a spy.  

Egypt is not alone!  

• Destabilizing influence: Many Arab governments view Hamas and other militant Islamist groups with suspicion, seeing them as potential threats to their own stability. As part of the broader Muslim Brotherhood movement, which some Arab countries have banned, Hamas is seen as a destabilizing force that could inspire internal dissent or challenge ruling elites.
• Security concerns: Nations bordering Gaza, such as Egypt, have been particularly wary. Egypt has maintained a blockade of Gaza with Israel since 2007 and has expressed fears that a mass influx of Palestinians could lead to militants entering its territory and destabilizing the Sinai Peninsula.
• Conclusion I have realized is not to take any country for granted as a peaceful country towards Israel.  Each hour brings on new events and shapes attitudes, so always remember to show respect as you would want for yourself.  If you just can't, shut up and just listen to them;  then carefully end with something kind, and put that hatred from the other to bed.  

Resource:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/world/middleeast/hamas-arab-states-palestinians.html#:~:text=and%20Nuclear%20Inspections-,Arab%20States%20Call%20for%20Hamas%20to%20Disarm%20Amid%20Push%20for,conflict%20between%20Israelis%20and%2

TV news, Egyptian commentator living in Israel now