Relationship dossier
Egypt
Israel
Relationship assessment
A durable peace treaty and security coordination coexist with persistent tensions over Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Egypt toward Israel
-25Egypt maintains the peace treaty with Israel and has cooperated on security arrangements in the Sinai and mediation concerning Gaza. Egyptian diplomacy has also criticized Israeli actions in Gaza and defended Palestinian rights, creating recurring friction.
Israel toward Egypt
-25Israel maintains the peace treaty with Egypt and has coordinated with the Egyptian government on Sinai security and Gaza-related arrangements. Israeli military operations and policy concerning Gaza have strained ties, particularly over security and the displacement of Palestinians near Egypt’s border.
Overall relationship
-15The 1979 peace treaty and sustained security coordination provide a durable foundation for state-to-state relations. This coexistence is limited by the unresolved Palestinian conflict and recurrent crises involving Gaza, which generate political and security tensions without ending the treaty framework.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Egypt and Israel maintain a peace treaty and extensive security coordination, particularly concerning the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. Relations are nevertheless constrained by persistent disputes over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, military operations in Gaza, and the effects of the conflict on Egypt’s border and security. The treaty has endured despite recurrent political and security tensions.
Areas of tension
- Israeli military operations in Gaza and their humanitarian consequences
- Displacement of Palestinians toward Egypt’s border
- Disputes over Israeli security measures and military activity near the Gaza-Egypt border
- Broader disagreements over Palestinian statehood and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Key developments
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty, ending the state of war and establishing diplomatic relations.
Egyptian mediation helped secure the 2011 prisoner exchange involving Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and Palestinian prisoners.
Egypt mediated a ceasefire that ended the 2021 Israel-Gaza conflict.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and continuity of security coordination are not fully clear.
- The longer-term effect of the Gaza conflict on bilateral ties remains uncertain.