Changing the dynamics in the
Middle East
1. We
are entering the fortieth year since Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's
groundbreaking visit to Jerusalem, where he delivered a historic speech to the
Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, on 20 November 1977.
2. President
Sadat's decision to recognize Israel and engage in negotiations directly and
without preconditions was the turning point, which made it possible for the
peace treaty between the two countries to be finalized and for peaceful and
friendly relations between the two nations to be established.
3. What
today might be taken for granted was revolutionary 40 years ago. Egypt had led
four wars over 26 years against Israel, and the Arab world had rejected any
official contact with Israel throughout that time.
4. It
was against this backdrop that President Sadat courageously declared that he
was willing to go, in his own words, "to the end of the earth"
to make peace between the two nations.
5. However,
there was no need to go to the end of the earth, only to embark on a very short
flight from Cairo to Jerusalem, which he did. On Saturday evening, 19 November
1977, President Sadat landed at Israel's Ben-Gurion airport, changing the
dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict forever.
Breaking barriers by direct
negotiations without preconditions
6. President
Sadat took this unprecedented step because he understood that the key to peace
is found in mutual recognition and direct dialogue. He came to speak to the
Israeli people, and to negotiate with their leaders without preconditions.
7. President
Sadat was welcomed with tremendous excitement by the Israeli public, which for
decades had been longing for peace.
8. Together
with Prime Minister Begin, President Sadat broke down what he described as
"a psychological barrier between us, a barrier of suspicion, a barrier
of rejection, a barrier of fear." The two leaders inaugurated a
diplomatic process that led to the peace treaty, signed in May 1979, that has
served as a cornerstone of peace and regional stability ever since.
Peace is the result of
mutual recognition
9. The
unprecedented visit of President Sadat demonstrated how peace can be achieved
once an Arab leader recognizes Israel and engages in direct, respectful and
fruitful negotiations.
10. President Sadat and Prime
Minister Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1978. In his presentation
speech, the Chairman of the Nobel Committee recognized the historical
importance of the visit, explaining: "[President Sadat's] decision to
accept Prime Minister Menachem Begin's invitation of November 17, 1977, to
attend a meeting of the Israeli parliament on November 19 was an act of great
courage, both from a personal and from a political point of view. This was a
dramatic break with the past and a courageous step forward into a new age."
11. Following the peace treaty,
and after Israel withdrew all its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai
Peninsula in 1982, the two countries established full diplomatic relations.
Throughout the decades since, the relations have known ups and downs, but they
have withstood every setback and continue to be as important today to both
countries as they ever were.
12. The fundamental lesson of
Sadat's journey to Jerusalem was applied again in 1994, when the King Hussein
of Jordan pursued direct negotiations, combined with a genuine recognition of
Israel and its rightful place in the region, and brought about reconciliation
and peace between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom.