Sadat's Journey to Jerusalem:Recalling Leadership in Service of Peace (Part II)
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. Osama el-Baz and Justice Elyakim Rubinstein addressed second first panel. Osama el-Baz is a political advisor to the president of Egypt. Justice Elyakim Rubinstein is a member of the Israeli Supreme Court and former legal advisor to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The first forum, with complete audio and video, is available here
