Israel, with a relatively small land area of approximately 25,000 square kilometers under its control, was originally allocated only 14,000 square kilometers for the Jewish state according to the 1947 United Nations resolution on the Palestine issue.
However, following five wars with Arab states, Israel consistently emerged victorious, thereby expanding its territory.
At its largest, Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, which has an area of 61,000 square kilometers, four times its original size.
The Sinai Peninsula, located on the east bank of the Suez Canal and bordering Israel to the east, is strategically significant as it controls access between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean and serves as a boundary between Asia and Europe.
Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula during the Six-Day War in 1967, the third Arab-Israeli war, and held it for 15 years before returning it to Egypt.
Despite its significant size and strategic importance, why did Israel choose to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt?
In the early 16th century, the vast Middle Eastern region, including Egypt and Palestine, was part of the Ottoman Empire before becoming a British colony.
Egypt had effectively gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1805, but in 1840, Britain, along with Russia, Prussia, and Austria, invaded Egypt, reducing it to a semi-colony by seizing numerous privileges.
In 1869, France and Egypt jointly opened the Suez Canal, managed by a canal company with France holding 56% and Egypt 44% of the shares.
The canal significantly shortened the voyage between Asia and Europe, becoming a busy maritime route.
Britain, having missed out on shares in the canal, took the opportunity during Egypt's financial crisis to buy Egypt's 44% stake in the canal company.
In 1882, to control Egypt, Britain deployed its military, making Egypt a British colony.
After World War I, Britain tightened its control, declaring Egypt a protectorate and fully controlling the country.
This led to significant anti-British uprisings in Egypt, and in 1922, under pressure, Britain reluctantly recognized Egypt's independence while retaining many economic privileges, particularly control over the Suez Canal, thus Egypt remained not fully independent.
After World War I, the Ottoman Empire was defeated, and many Middle Eastern territories, including Palestine, came under British mandate.
With Britain's support, Jews began migrating to Palestine.
During the 1930s, under Hitler's regime, many Jews fled Nazi Germany, with around 200,000 moving to Palestine.
By the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish population in Palestine had grown to over 400,000, one-third of the total population.
Post-World War II, Britain could no longer maintain its overseas colonies and referred the Palestine issue to the United Nations.
In 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to establish separate Arab and Jewish states in Palestine, allocating 11,000 square kilometers for the Arab state and 14,000 square kilometers for the Jewish state, with Jerusalem under UN administration.
Jews supported the resolution, but Arabs opposed it, arguing that the Jewish suffering was caused by Europeans, not Arabs, and it was unjust to compensate Jews at the expense of Arabs.
On May 14, 1948, with the end of the British mandate, Jews declared the establishment of the State of Israel.
The next day, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon declared war on Israel, leading to the First Arab-Israeli War.
Israel defeated the six Arab countries, with the Arab forces suffering 15,000 casualties compared to Israel's 6,000, and Israel captured four-fifths of Palestine.
The war cemented Israel's existence, but Egypt, Syria, and other Arab states remained hostile, intent on reclaiming Palestine.
Egypt experienced a military coup, and despite nominal independence from Britain, it retained numerous privileges, especially over the Suez Canal, causing significant discontent.
In 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser's Free Officers Movement overthrew the monarchy, establishing the Republic of Egypt.
Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, leading to the Suez Crisis, where Britain, France, and Israel attacked Egypt.
Egypt was militarily defeated, with Israel occupying the Sinai Peninsula, but international pressure from the US and the Soviet Union forced Britain and France to withdraw, followed by Israel, thus Egypt retained the Sinai Peninsula.
However, the Six-Day War in 1967 saw Egypt lose the Sinai Peninsula again to Israel.
Despite the military loss, Egypt gained significant political prestige, leading Arab nations to remain determined to reclaim Palestine.
In 1970, after Nasser's death, Anwar Sadat became Egypt's president, with the Sinai Peninsula remaining a focal point of Arab-Israeli tension.
In 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel, leading to heavy losses on both sides.
In 1977, Sadat visited Israel, meeting Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and in 1979, they signed the Camp David Accords, with Israel agreeing to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
For Israel, while occupying the Sinai Peninsula significantly expanded its territory, Egypt, its major adversary, remained unconquered and a constant threat.
The Sinai, though vast, was primarily desert with limited development prospects.
Returning it facilitated Egypt's recognition of Israel, making it the first Arab country to do so.
Sadat received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 for the Camp David Accords but faced condemnation from Arab nations and was assassinated in 1981 due to the agreement.
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