Question

Examine the role of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in initiating peace with Israel with reference to Camp David, 1978-79.

Answer 1

1. Anwar Sadat, the president of Egypt, came to believe that Israel could not be eliminated by force after the Yom Kippur War and that it was foolish to waste Egyptian resources on pointless conflicts.
2. He acknowledged the existence of Israel and recognised that the PLO and nations such as Iraq and Syria’s belligerent posture would thwart any peaceful solution. Despite all the risks, Sadat dared to visit Israel and speak to the Israeli Parliament in November 1977.
3. Initiating the Camp David Peace Agreement, U.S. President Jimmy Carter invited Egypt and Israel to official negotiations in Camp David, which is located near Washington. President Jimmy Carter signed the peace accord in March 1979.
4. Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt agreed to remove the blockade of the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba for Israeli ships, and the treaty announced the end of the conflict between Egypt and Israel since 1948. Egypt also pledged to provide oil from the Southern Sinai and to refrain from attacking Israel in the future.
5. Since Syria and Jordan were ill-equipped to combat Israel, Sadat launched these actions without the Arab League’s approval. Many Arab countries denounced it, while Oman, Morocco, and Sudan backed Egypt. Although Sadat’s acts were a major step towards Middle East peace, radicals assassinated him in 1981.