Camp David Accords Signed -September 17, 1978
On September 17, 1978, President Jimmy Carter oversaw an agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat that called for Israel’s gradual withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Camp David Accords are often considered the most significant foreign policy achievement of Carter’s administration.
Tension in the Middle East had continued unabated since the 1967 war between Israel and Egypt. In November 1967, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 242. The resolution called for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories acquired during the war and for termination of all claims or states of belligerency between all nations or states in the area. Recognition by Egypt of the right of Israel to peaceful existence and the return of lands acquired by the Six Days War remained preconditions for peace in the region. Following the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, the Security Council issued Resolution 338, calling on the parties to begin negotiations toward establishing a "just and durable peace."
President Carter decided to act after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat of Egypt had traveled to Jerusalem and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had returned from a reciprocal visit to Cairo. Carter invited the leaders to the United States to hammer out a peace treaty between the countries. They would also seek a framework for the resolution of the Palestinian crisis. The three met at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains, from September 5 through September 17, 1978.
The Camp David Accords, signed by Carter, Begin, and Sadat, called for recognition of UN Security Council Resolution 242 and established the fundamental framework for peace in the region. The agreement called for:
• Mutual respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of every state in the area and the right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries;
• Negotiations between Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Palestinian representatives for the establishment of arrangements leading to an autonomous and self-governing authority for the West Bank and Gaza within five years;
• The negotiation of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel within three months that recognized the right of Israel to exist and the return of territory taken by Israel in previous conflicts.
The peace treaty was officially signed in March 1979. It was a major breakthrough, perhaps the most significant by an American President dealing with Middle East affairs, and established a precedent for future high-level negotiations over these issues.
To watch the video of President Carter's remarks after the Camp David Summit, click here.
For more information, please visit the Jimmy Carter home page or go to more Events in Presidential History.
