The Suez Canal Authority of Egypt confirmed on Sunday that all vessels, commercial and military, have the right to transit the waterway freely, following widespread outrage over a video showing an Israeli warship sailing through the crucial waterway.
The authority, which manages the vital waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, said that the Israeli vessel sailing south displayed both Israeli and Egyptian flags. This is as per the Suez Canal regulations mandating the host nation's flag be flown alongside the vessel's country of registration.
“The Suez Canal Authority emphasises its commitment to the implementation of international treaties guaranteeing free passage to ships transiting the Suez Canal whether they are commercial or military, regardless of their nationality,” the statement read, as per National News. This came amid rising concerns on social media about the perceived lack of action against Israel for its war on Gaza.
Egypt, the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has seen its relations become increasingly strained since the outbreak of the Gaza war. The authority's statement referenced the Constantinople Convention of 1888, which stipulates that the Suez Canal “shall always be free and of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag.”
The Egyptian military also addressed accusations circulating on social media regarding alleged support for Israel in its Gaza operations. “The Egyptian Armed Forces categorically deny what has been circulated on social media and suspicious accounts and what is being promoted about assisting Israel in its military operations in general and in detail,” the military said. This response followed reports that the port of Alexandria received a shipment of explosives bound for Israel.
Egypt's Transport Ministry clarified that the ship in question was docked to unload cargo for Egypt's Ministry of Military Production and had officially requested to depart for Turkey. This clarification came after a pro-Palestinian legal group filed an appeal in Berlin to block a shipment of military-grade explosives reportedly destined for Israel's largest defence contractor Elbit Systems.
The Suez Canal remains a vital maritime route and a significant source of revenue for Egypt. But President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently revealed that geopolitical tensions have cost the country around $6 billion in lost canal revenue.
