Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin (left) greets Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat on his arrival in Jerusa-
lem in November 1977, a visit that later led to the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. (Getty Images / Image Bank.)
When Begin invited Sadat to Jerusalem, the Egyptian president agreed. In an especially
dramatic development, Sadat addressed the Knesset in November 1977. The following year,
Sadat and Begin met at Camp David, Maryland, hosted by President Jimmy Carter. The two
countries agreed to a transition period during which self-government would be granted to
Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a step they hoped would lead to full
negotiations and an Israel-Palestinian peace settlement. The Palestinians rejected this oppor-
tunity, instead joining almost all the Arab states in declaring Egypt to be a traitor to the Arab
cause. PLO leader Yasir Arafat threatened to kill any local Palestinian leaders who accepted the
offer.
Nonetheless, Egypt and Israel signed a bilateral peace treaty on March 26, 1979, which pro-
vided for an Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai, to be completed by April 25, 1982, followed by
an end to the war between the two countries and normal relations. Although Egypt kept the
peace a cold one —with commercial, tourist, and other links remaining minimal— this step
transformed the regional strategic situation, greatly reducing the chances for a war by Arab
states against Israel.
THE LEBANON WAR OF 1982
Besides signing a treaty with Egypt, Israel also destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor at Osirak in
1981 in an aerial bombing raid without any Israeli casualties. In the June 1981 elections, these
successes helped Begin's government win again despite concerns over infl ation and a sluggish
