This is a photograph taken at the signing ceremony of the Israel-Egypt Peace Accords on March 26, 1979 on the lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. Seated left to right at a large, wooden table are Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, US President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Sadat and Begin are signing papers with the assistance of two aides, while Carter is watching and smiling. Behind the three leaders are members of their staff and security guards. Facing the table, a crowd can be seen, presumably important guests who have been invited to witness this significant event. This event was the result of intense negotiations between Israel and Egypt, following the historical visit of President Sadat to Israel in 1977 and talks between the leaders at Camp David.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel. The main element of the peace accord was Egypt’s recognition of the State of Israel in exchange for the return of Sinai to Egypt. Following the signing, the two countries established diplomatic relations, including the opening of embassies, and began establishing economic and cultural ties.
The route to peace has not, however, been easy, and relations between the countries has often been described as a “cold peace” at best. Many Egyptians opposed the peace process, culminating in the assassination of President Sadat on October 6, 1981 by members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. There have also been violent demonstrations and attacks against Israel, notably the 2011 attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo.
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Israel-Egypt Peace Accords - After more than thirty years at war, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed peace accords in 1979. The agreement established a new border between Israel and Egypt and diplomatic relations between the two countries. It also included the transfer of half of the Sinai Desert to Egyptian control. Following the signing of the agreement, the normalized relations included flights between the countries and easy access for tourists.
Menachem Begin – Menachem Begin, born in Poland, was a member of Betar, a Zionist youth movement based upon the ideas of Vladimir Jabotinsky and Josef Trumpeldor. After serving in the Polish Army, Begin immigrated to Israel in 1942. He joined the Irgun (Irgun Zvai Leumi or Etzel, the National Military Organization in the Land of Israel), an underground Zionist paramilitary that split from the main Jewish military organisation, the Haganah. In 1944, Begin became the commander of the Irgun and was determined to force the British to leave Israel, using even violent measures. Begin was on the British wanted list and was thus compelled to live in hiding. Not only were the British searching for him but also opposing Jewish political organisations that claimed his actions were harming the Yishuv’s struggle for independence. Upon the establishment of the state, Begin signed an agreement with David Ben-Gurion agreeing to formally disband the Irgun. In August 1948, Begin founded the Herut political party, which was the forerunner to the Likud party. Over the years, Begin fought many ideological and political battles with David Ben-Gurion and his socialist Mapai party, one of the most bitter being about the reparation agreement between Israel and West Germany. In 1977, after many years of Mapai rule, there was a political upheaval and Begin became the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel. Menachem Begin served as prime minister for more than six years, until his resignation in 1983 due to ill health and depression after the death of his wife, Aliza. Major events during his term in office were the peace treaty with Egypt (1979), the subsequent withdrawal from Sinai (1982), the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear plant (1981), and the invasion of Lebanon (1982).
