Egypt, Israel amend security agreement to increase 'number, capabilities' of Egyptian Border Guard forces in Rafah

CAIRO – 8 November 2021: The Egyptian-Israeli Joint Military Committee agreed to amend the security agreement between both countries to increase the number and capabilities of the Egyptian Border Guard forces in the border town Rafah, Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesperson stated Monday.  

The spokesperson added that the amendment comes in light of the current "developments and variables," and that it is aimed at "the consolidation of the pillars of security."

In 1979, Egypt and Israel sealed a Peace Treaty after years of negotiations since the Egyptian Army restored, in October 1973, 15 kilometers of the then Israeli-occupied Sinai destroying Ber Lev Line, a series of fortifications on the eastern shore of the Suez Canal. The treaty mandated the reduction of forces and their equipment in a border area known as Zone C.  

In September, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, where they held bilateral discussions.