Another diplomatic crisis on the way? Egypt erases Israel from the map

The Egyptian news site Cairo24 published yesterday (Thursday) on the X network a map related to the new matriculation program in Egypt, in which "Palestine" appears to the northeast of the country – without the name of Israel. The publication stated: "Present in the pages of history – Palestine appears on the political map of Egypt in the new matriculation program." The publication is particularly prominent against the background of the fact that Egypt has maintained peace and diplomatic relations with Israel since 1979.

The map published by Cairo24 shows the countries surrounding Egypt, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia. However, in the area where Israel is located, the inscription "Palestine" appears, without mentioning the name of the country with which Egypt shares a border and maintains official diplomatic relations.

The publication comes against the background of the new matriculation program in Egypt, which is intended to make a change in the way of learning and shift the emphasis from rote memorization to understanding, analysis, and application. Precisely within the framework of this change, the appearance of a map in which Israel is not mentioned raises questions regarding how the political reality in the region is presented to students.

As recalled, Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel. The Camp David Accords were signed in September 1978, and on March 26, 1979, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the peace treaty between the countries, under the auspices of US President Jimmy Carter. Since then, the countries have maintained official diplomatic relations. Over the years, security coordination has also taken place between them, and Egypt has played a central role in mediation between Israel and parties in the Gaza Strip.

Alongside the political and security ties, economic relations also exist, including the supply of natural gas from Israel to Egypt. Against this background, the presentation of the territory to the northeast of Egypt as "Palestine," without Israel's name appearing on the map, is particularly prominent.

The peace agreement between Israel and Egypt includes recognition of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of both countries, alongside the establishment of official relations between them. However, from the publication of the map alone, it cannot be determined legally that this is a "flagrant violation of the Camp David Accords." Such a determination requires examining the official status of the map, who produced it, and who approved it. What can be determined is that the map as presented on Cairo24 does not include the name of Israel, even though Egypt officially recognizes it and has maintained relations with it for decades.

The publication by Cairo24 attributes the map to the new matriculation program, but from the available information, it is unclear if it was produced directly by the Egyptian Ministry of Education, by a private company that prepares study materials, or by another entity.

This question has great significance. If it is a study material that was officially approved for use in schools, it may raise political questions regarding the messages conveyed to students about Israel. If it is a map produced by a private body and did not receive government approval, the meaning is different. Therefore, further clarification is required before it can be determined that the Egyptian government itself decided to remove Israel from study maps.

At this stage, it is clear that on the map published by Cairo24, "Palestine" appears where one would have expected to also find a reference to Israel. However, in order to determine that this is an official policy of the Egyptian government, a deliberate erasure, or a violation of the peace agreement, additional information is required about the source of the map and its status in the Egyptian education system.