Why did sadat want peace

Sign In or Create an Account. Advanced Search. User Tools. Sign In. Skip Nav Destination Article Navigation. Close mobile search navigation Article navigation. Volume 45, Issue 1. Previous Article Next Article. Article Navigation. July 01 This Site. Google Scholar. Author and Article Information. Egypt was ejected from the Arab League, and during a military parade in Cairo in October , Sadat was assassinated by extremists opposed to the treaty. That was when he decided to make peace with an enemy state of the Arabs, and took the initiative solely to sit down with Israeli leaders and sign a peace treaty, later known as the Camp David Accords.

At the time, there was an Egyptian man working at a bakery in our neighborhood in Zarqa, Jordan. Of course for a year-old boy, a peace treaty was meaningless as I had no idea what that meant and had no interest in politics. But as I grew older I became more aware, especially because my country, Jordan, is directly involved in the Arab-Israeli struggle and the Palestinian cause, and because the repercussions of the Israeli occupation of Palestine were immensely devastating not only to Jordan but to the whole region.

After Sadat announces his intention to visit Israel, Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin addresses the Egyptian people from Jerusalem, pleading for "no more wars, no more bloodshed. Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to visit Israel, addressing the Israeli parliament the next day.

He remains a controversial figure in the Middle East. Praised as a prophet and cursed as a traitor, neither his death in nor the passage of time have resolved the ongoing debate about the man and his legacy.

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Prime Minister Menahem Begin made the declarations separately in the climax of a historic first visit to Israel by an Arab leader that spurred hope for an Arab-Israeli peace. The dramatic crossing electrified a country demoralized by its defeat in the war. Although Egyptian troops fared less well once the element of surprise had passed and the war raged on for several weeks, even temporary success against a country that had been Egypt's foe for 25 years allowed Sadat to consolidate his leadership domestically.

He was being seen as a brilliant strategist, since his limited war against the Israelis resulted in the Egyptians regaining control over the Suez Canal, in what the Egyptian military to this day considers its principal victory in the modern era. He dismantled many of the socialist features of the Egyptian state, and in so doing he impressed Western leaders with his sincerity, weakened his opponents and enriched his friends. Sadat also applied his mastery of symbolism to international relations.

His decision to go to Jerusalem was breath-taking in its effect, and his landing on Israeli soil on Nov. In one gesture granting the Israelis the recognition they had been demanding for decades, Sadat at the same time won an American commitment to aid Egypt in recovering the lands it had lost in war. The negotiations he started did not result in the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, nor did they create a prosperous Egypt. During a radio broadcast dealing with a Senate investigation into communists in the U.

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