Link to Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/egypt-says-israel-seeks-to-empty-gaza-rejects-corridors-for-civilians
As the conflict between Israel and Palestine intensifies along the Gaza Strip, the neighboring country of Egypt is faced with the pivotal decision of whether or not to increase their involvement. They had already joined with the United States and other governments to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilians of Gaza by way of the Rafah crossing, which passes between Egypt and Gaza. However, the crossing has since been closed in response to Israeli attacks on the Palestinian side of the border. These frequent attacks, increasingly close to Egypt, mean that there is a strong possibility that residents will be displaced from Gaza onto Egyptian soil.
The Egyptian government, despite wanting to provide humanitarian aid, does not want to open a corridor for refugee travel into their country. For, if they were to open their borders, they would become more heavily involved in the conflict. This would ultimately be harmful to their citizens, economy, and territory as a whole. Additionally, the country is already filled with refugees from Syria and other countries. The immense amount of migration to Egypt has caused severe inflation, meaning the cost of living for citizens is extremely high. Thus, it would be difficult for the country to support many more refugees from Gaza amidst their economic crisis.
In class, we have discussed the importance of national interest in decision making and international relations as a whole. In this situation, Egypt is choosing not to open their borders for refugees to protect their national interest of security and relative neutrality. Egypt has long been a mediator between Israel and Palestine, urging them to resolve their issues within their own borders. Now, as the conflict rapidly approaches Egypt, the matter of security is extremely important. Therefore, they believe that in order to protect their citizens, economy, and territory, they must maintain their closed borders.