Camp David Accords

On September 17, 1978, the Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat and the Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin signed the historic Camp David Accords, arguably the most significant diplomatic breakthrough to hold out the hope for peace in the Middle East since Israel proclaimed itself an independent state in 1948. The accords were the brainchild of U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who moderated twelve tense days of talks between the parties at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.

For decades, peace in the Middle East had been elusive. Wars between Israel and the Arab states, including Egypt, had erupted in 1948 and 1967. Most recently, Israel had fought the combined forces of Egypt and Syria in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. During the administrations of Carter and his predecessor, Gerald Ford, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had tried to conduct what was called “shuttle diplomacy” as he traveled back and forth among the belligerents in an effort to find peace. The process was slow and produced few tangible results. Chief among the issues that divided the parties was the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had occupied and Egypt wanted restored. Also at issue were the Israeli-occupied West Bank (that is, the west bank of the Jordan River) and Gaza Strip. Sadat was coming to distrust his Arab neighbors and his Communist allies. He also wanted a better relationship with the United States. Accordingly, Egypt and Israel conducted secret negotiations in 1977, and Sadat even paid a visit to Jerusalem, tacitly recognizing the legitimacy of Israel.

Negotiations at Camp David began on September 5, 1978. Despite earlier lessening of tensions, the two heads of state were not on speaking terms, so over the next twelve days the negotiations repeatedly threatened to break down. A determined Carter made personal appeals and functioned as mediator, going back and forth between cabins to relay the positions of the parties. In the end, Sadat and Begin agreed to concessions on the disputed territories. The result was two agreements: Framework for Peace in the Middle East (reproduced here) and Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel. The first agreement produced few concrete results, but the second led to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of March 1979.

The Camp David peace negotiations and the subsequent Camp David Accords had widespread implications. They normalized relations between Egypt and Israel after decades of hostility. Further, the United States committed itself to billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to both Egypt and Israel. Egypt, the most powerful Arab state, was suspended from the Arab League for what was widely perceived as a betrayal of Arab interests. Begin and Sadat shared the Nobel Peace Prize for 1978.