Sadat's Journey to Jerusalem:Recalling Leadership in Service of Peace (Part I)
Nov 14, 2007
Brief Analysis
Thirty years ago, in November 1977, Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat stunned the world by traveling to Jerusalem to speak peace directly to the Israeli people. Israel responded with open arms, and after many months of U.S.-brokered negotiations, the result was the Camp David Accords and the subsequent Egypt-Israel peace treaty -- agreements that transformed the Middle East. As American diplomats work to arrange an Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Annapolis, the anniversary of Sadat's journey to Jerusalem provides an opportunity to recall one of the most critical ingredients of peacemaking: bold leadership by statesmen who, in the interests of their people, break through conventional wisdom and act with courage and determination.
To celebrate this anniversary, The Washington Institute hosted a pair of Special Policy Forums on November 14, 2007. Kenneth Stein and Ambassador Nicholas Veliotes addressed the first panel. Kenneth Stein is director of the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel. Nicholas Veliotes is the former U.S. ambassador to Egypt.
The second forum, with complete audio and video, is available here
