Egypt–Israel peace treaty

Anwar El Sadat, Jimmy Carter and Menachem Begin at White House, 1979

The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty (Template:Lang-ar, Mu`āhadat as-Salām al-Misrīyah al-'Isrā'īlīyah; Template:Lang-he, Heskem HaShalom Bein Yisrael LeMitzrayim) was signed in Washington, D.C. on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The Egypt-Israel treaty was signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.

Compliance

Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat at Camp David, 1978

Normalization

The normalization of relations between Israel and Egypt went into effect in January 1980. Ambassadors were exchanged in February. The boycott laws were repealed by Egypt's parliament the same month, and some trade began to develop, albeit less than Israel had hoped for. In March 1980 regular airline flights were inaugurated. Egypt also began supplying Israel with crude oil.

Demilitarization of Sinai

On 18 May 1981, the President of the UN Security Council indicated that the United Nations would be unable to provide an observation force, due to the threat of a veto of the motion by the Soviet Union. As a result of the impasse, Egypt, Israel and the United States opened negotiations to set up a peacekeeping organization outside the framework of the UN. On 3 August 1981, the Protocol to the Treaty of Peace was signed, establishing the Multinational Force and Observers. This observation force monitors both parties to ensure compliance with the treaty.

In January 2011, during widespread protests by Egyptians against their government, Israel agreed to allow Egypt to move several hundred troops into the Sinai Peninsula for the first time since the peace treaty was signed. With Israel's agreement, Egypt moved two battalions, about 800 soldiers, into the Sharm el-Sheikh area on Sinai's southern tip, far from Israel.

Breach of treaty

In August 2012, amid a time of uncertainty regarding the future of the peace treaty, the Egyptian Military moved tanks into the demilitarized zone without Israeli approval, in violation of the peace treaty terms. Egypt has also been reported to have deployed Anti-Air Missiles on the Israeli Border, a move which clearly targets Israel, as the Bedouin groups in the Sinai have no aircraft. In the 1970s this was the first step Egypt took in the lead up to its launching of the October war. Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Egypt's commitment to maintaining the 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Israel according to Arabic-language news agency Al-Hayat. This is disputed by Israeli sources.

International reaction

The treaty was received with enormous controversy across the Arab World, where it was condemned and considered a stab in the back. The sense of outrage was particularly strong amongst Palestinians, with the leader of Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, stating: "Let them sign what they like. False peace will not last." On the other hand, the treaty led both Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to share the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for bringing peace between the two states. However, in contrast to his hero status following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Sadat became unpopular across the Arab World. Egypt was suspended from the Arab League in 1979-1989, and Sadat was assassinated on 6 October 1981 by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.

Aftermath

Main article: Egypt-Israel relations

The peace between Egypt and Israel has lasted since the treaty went into effect, and Egypt has become an important strategic partner of Israel. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former defense minister known for his close ties to Egyptian officials has stated that "Egypt is not only our closest friend in the region, the co-operation between us goes beyond the strategic."

As part of the agreement, the US began economic and military aid to Egypt, and political backing for its subsequent governments. From the Camp David peace accords in 1978 until 2000, the United States has subsidized Egypt's armed forces with over $38 billion worth of aid. Egypt receives about $1.3 billion annually.

Nevertheless, the peace is often described as a "cold peace", with many in Egypt skeptical about its effectiveness. The Arab-Israeli conflict has kept relations cool. In 2008, the Egyptian army conducted simulated military exercises against an "enemy" Israel.

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 led to fears in Israel about the future of the treaty, although the Israeli Prime Minister stated that he expected any new Egyptian government to keep the peace treaty with Israel, as it has served both countries well. After the Egyptian Army took power on 11 February 2011, it announced that Egypt would continue to abide by all its international and regional treaties. However, Ayman Nour, an influential Egyptian opposition figure and likely presidential candidate called for Cairo’s peace treaty with Israel to be "reassessed". On 15 September, the then Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said that "A peace deal with Israel was not sacred." The Deputy chief of Egypt's largest party, the Muslim Brotherhood, said that they would not recognize Israel's right to exist, the treaty is non-binding, and would be put to a referendum. The Egyptian president, Mohammed Morsi, vowed to respect Egypt-Israel peace treaty.

See also

• 1949 Armistice Agreements
• Oslo Accords (1993)
• Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace (1994)
• Yamit
• List of Middle East peace proposals

External links

• Text of the Treaty, at the site of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Text of the Treaty, at the site of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Crisis hurts Israeli-Egypt ties Sally Buzbee, Associated Press 23 January 2008