Peace Diplomacy: Camp David, Oslo, and Regional Normalization

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made a historic visit to Jerusalem in November 1977, the first direct public recognition of the State of Israel by an Arab leader, breaking decades of diplomatic hostility. US President Jimmy Carter personally mediated intensive negotiations between Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David over thirteen days in September 1978, producing two framework agreements, one on the broader Middle East peace process and another on Egyptian-Israeli relations specifically. The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was formally signed in Washington in March 1979, ending the state of war between the two countries; Israel committed to a complete withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, and Egypt became the first Arab country to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.