The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on March 26, 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords.
Signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978. Source: Wikipedia
The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed 16 months after Egyptian president Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem in 1977, after intense negotiations.
Key Figures and Recognition
Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 as peacemakers following the 1978 Camp David Accords.
In 1978, both President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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The so-called Camp David Accords came about thanks to the mediation efforts of US President Jimmy Carter.
US President Donald Trump signed a new law to honor Egypt's former President Anwar Sadat with the Congressional Gold Medal for his role in the Camp David Peace Accords with Israel in 1979.
The medal, the highest civilian honor in the US, is set to be granted next year, on the 40th anniversary of the accords.
The move was initiated by lobbying organisation The Friedlander Group, who focus on Jewish issues inside the US.
The Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords, signed by Sadat and Israeli then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin, were overseen by former US President Jimmy Carter, and signed at the White House in September 1978.
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The accords led directly to the ratification of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in March 1979.
Following negotiations, they signed the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty at the White House on March 26, 1979, and Egypt became the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel.
President Jimmy Carter's personal diplomacy brought Begin and Sadat together at Camp David in September 1978.
They signed two "framework" agreements, one providing for an Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty within three months, the other for a five-year transition toward autonomy and Palestinian self-government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Begin and Sadat signed the final treaty in March 1979, and they shared the Nobel Peace Prize for 1978.
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Key Elements of the Treaty
- Mutual recognition
- Cessation of the state of war that had existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- Normalization of relations
- Withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had captured during the Six-Day War in 1967
The main features of the treaty were mutual recognition, cessation of the state of war that had existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, normalization of relations and the withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had captured during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Egypt agreed to leave the Sinai Peninsula demilitarized.
The agreement provided for free passage of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal, and recognition of the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as international waterways, which had been blockaded by Egypt in 1967.
The normalization of relations between Israel and Egypt went into effect in January 1980.
Ambassadors were exchanged in February.
The peace treaty includes a stipulation, called the Agreed Activities Mechanism, that allows Egypt and Israel to jointly alter the arrangements of Egyptian troops in the Sinai without having to officially review the treaty itself.
Israel has allowed Egypt to deploy forces to central and eastern Sinai out of mutual security concerns, such as the presence of jihadi militant groups in these areas.
Israel seizes control of strategic Gaza land border. Source: PBS
During the wars that pitted Egypt against Israel, the Egyptian government closed the Suez Canal on two separate occasions (between 1956 and 1957 and between 1967 and 1975), with severe economic repercussions for local commerce and global trade alike.
The Egypt-Israel peace treaty thus also aimed to avoid further crises involving the key waterway in the future.
According to the treaty's fifth article, Israeli ships and ships destined to or coming from Israel are entitled to the right of free passage through the Suez Canal and the neighboring areas (the Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean Sea) on the basis of the Constantinople Convention of 1888.
Both Egypt and Israel agreed to recognize the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as being international waterways, where any nation may enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight.
In order to facilitate this process, international peacekeeping forces were deployed to the Suez Canal by the United Nations.
The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel has lasted since the treaty went into effect, and Egypt has become an important strategic partner of Israel.
From the Camp David peace accords in 1978 until 2000, the United States has subsidized Egypt's armed forces with over $38 billion worth of aid.
Reactions and Opposition
This treaty was received with enormous controversy across the Arab world, where it was condemned and considered a stab in the back.
The sense of outrage was particularly strong amongst Palestinians, with the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, stating: "Let them sign what they like. False peace will not last".
The treaty, however, was rejected by many in the Arab world, including the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which felt that the president had abandoned efforts to ensure a Palestinian state.
Sadat’s refusal to consult with other Arab nations before making a separate peace with Israel resulted in Egypt being suspended from the Arab League from 1979 to 1989.
Other Arab states agreed, and at an Arab League meeting in Baghdad the Arab states decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Egypt, sever political and economic ties, and move the headquarters of the league from Cairo to Tunis.
The United States compensated somewhat for the loss of Egypt's Arab ties by massively increasing its aid to Sadat.
Decision Points S2 E5: Anwar Sadat’s Trip to Jerusalem
Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin with Nobel Peace Prize. Source: Wikipedia
Anwar Sadat's Assassination
However Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by militant Islamists as a result of the deal and his warm stance towards Israel.
In October 1981, President Sadat of Egypt was murdered by persons who were opposed to his policy of reconciliation with Israel and his close links with the United States.
President Sadat took countless personal risks to achieve a society grounded in peace and diplomacy - an endeavor that ultimately cost him his life.
EGYPT'S PRESIDENT ANWAR SADAT WAS ASSASSINATED ON OCTOBER 6, 1981, BY MEMBER OF EGYPTIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD DURING THE ANNUAL PARADE IN CAIRO.
The attack lasted about two minutes.
Sadat and ten others were killed outright or suffered fatal wounds.
Sadat’s death was attributed to “violent nervous shock and internal bleeding in the chest cavity, where the left lung and major blood vessels below it were torn”.
In addition to Sadat, eleven others were killed, including the Cuban ambassador, an Omani general, a Coptic Orthodox bishop and Samir Helmy, the head of Egypt’s Central Auditing Agency (CAA).
Twenty-eight were wounded, including Vice President Hosni Mubarak, Irish Defence Minister James Tully, and four US military liaison officers.
Congressional Gold Medal
WASHINGTON - The United States Mint unveiled the designs for the Anwar El Sadat Congressional Gold Medal in the Department of the Treasury’s historic Cash Room.
United States Mint Director David J. Ryder unveiled the designs, and the ceremony was led by Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Management David Eisner.
"We are eternally grateful for President Sadat’s contributions towards peace in the Middle East," said Director Ryder.
Congress bestows the Congressional Gold Medal - one of the nation’s highest civilian awards - as an expression of gratitude for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals, groups, or institutions.
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