The Camp David Accords and Israel-Egypt Peace : Introduction To The Region

In October 1977, Sadat declared that he would travel to the ends of the earth, even Jerusalem, to make peace. With a stunning public visit to Jerusalem the next month, Sadat convinced Israelis of his sincere interest in coexistence.

By September 1978, Begin and Sadat had forged a two-part agreement, the Camp David Accords, with the help of U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The first part of the accords stipulated that Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza would receive autonomy within five years. Under the second part, Israel agreed to give up the Sinai in exchange for peace and full diplomatic relations with Egypt. The second provision has held, but the autonomy guarantee remains a source of intense controversy.

Immediately after the Camp David Accords, however, early hopes that other Arab states would negotiate with Israel evaporated. The PLO bitterly denounced Sadat as a traitor to Palestine; Syria and Jordan were adamant about guarantees for the Palestinians; other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, disapproved too. Egypt was enjoying U.S. military and economic support but was left isolated in the Arab world Islamists, whom Sadat had courted in his battles against the Nasserist left, objected to this open alliance with the West. When Sadat cracked down, he was assassinated (1981). The Egyptian government acted swiftly to cmsh an Islamist riot in Assyut and Hosni Mubarak, Sadat’s Vice President, was sworn in.