Egypt recently celebrated the anniversary of the July 1952 revolution that put an end to the constitutional monarchy and established the Egyptian republic. Hundreds of attendees rushed to greet the Egyptian Ambassador Hazem Khairat at a party at his Tel Aviv residence, among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin. But despite the festive atmosphere, there is a tendency to forget that Egypt has not implemented the 1979 peace accord in its intended spirit.
The reasons for this are many, among them former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's desire to be welcomed back into the Arab world following Cairo's expulsion from the Arab League over the signing of the peace treaty with Jerusalem and Egypt's need to show solidarity with Arab countries that were in a state of war with Israel. This is not meant as criticism or an effort to lay blame; it is merely a reflection of a situation that requires correcting.
The military and intelligence ties that exist today between Israel and Egypt are stronger than ever. Both countries have an interest in fighting radical Islamic terror. Israel is also interested in using Egypt's relationship with the Palestinians to promote an agreement or arrangement. This is one stable aspect of relations between Cairo and Jerusalem.
But what of the other aspect, that of bilateral relations? They are almost nonexistent. Ever since we were forced to abandon the embassy building in Cairo some eight years ago, the Israeli mission has had no fixed address in the country. Israel's ambassador to Egypt, Amira Oron, is set to complete her mission and return to Israel at the end of this month, and yet the government has yet to approve a replacement. Nor are there any trade, culture or economic ties to speak of, in contrast to what is laid out in the peace accord. Despite this situation, the Egyptian Embassy in Israel is fully functioning and is developing diplomatic activity. And that's a good thing. Israel allowed Egypt to send in a few armed battalions to the border area in the Sinai Peninsula – over 20,000 soldiers and officers, according to Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Although Israel approved the move, it is nevertheless a violation of the military appendix of the agreement.
The situation as it currently stands is indicative of an imbalance: It seems Egypt enjoys the peace accord while Israel does to a lesser extent. Israel sees the agreement as a stable strategic asset that both sides are interested in, and rightfully so. That is why the time has come to bolster the accord by implementing its provisions, and the initiative should come from Jerusalem. It is very likely el-Sissi will not turn Israel away.
We must begin by stationing an ambassador in Cairo before the current representative concludes her mission, in order not to leave the embassy abandoned for even one day. Afterward, a building must finally be found to house the embassy and the diplomatic staff that could be found there just eight years ago must be restored to the same format.
And of course, Israel must ask Egypt to establish joint teams to evaluate the implementation of the accord in full. These are only initial steps, and their implementation cannot come a minute too soon.
