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Ruth Wasserman Lande: The Egyptian leadership operates under a deeply ingrained, distorted perception of Israeli intentions. There is no rational motive for Egypt to build a force that is essentially offensive against Israel. It doesn’t make sense.
For this, one needs to understand the Egyptian state of mind, which perceives, at the highest decision-making levels, the State of Israel as an imperialist state that aspires to expand, with an emphasis on the current government. That is, the highest echelons [in Egypt] see steps taken by Israel as steps whose purpose is imperialistic.
Published in JNS, July 11, 2025.