Israel-Egyptian peace agreement signed
In a ceremony at the White House Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign a historic peace agreement ending three decades of hostilities between Egypt and Israel and establishing diplomatic and commercial ties.Less than two years earlier in an unprecedented move for an Arab leader Sadat traveled to Jerusalem Israel to seek a permanent peace settlement with Egypts Jewish neighbor after decades of conflict.Sadats visit in which he met with Begin and spoke before Israels parliament was met with outrage in most of the Arab world.Despite criticism from Egypts regional allies Sadat continued to pursue peace with Begin and in September 1978 the two leaders met again in the United States where they negotiated an agreement with U.S.
President Jimmy Carter at Camp David Maryland.The Camp David Accords the first peace agreement between the state of Israel and one of its Arab neighbors laid the groundwork for diplomatic and commercial relations.Seven months later a formal peace treaty was signed.For their achievement Sadat and Begin were jointly awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize for Peace.
Sadats peace efforts were not so highly acclaimed in the Arab worldEgypt was suspended from the Arab League and on October 6 1981 Muslim extremists assassinated Sadat in Cairo.Nevertheless the peace process continued without Sadat and in 1982 Egypt formally established diplomatic relations with Israel.
