The Camp David Accords produced the framework that led to the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty, the first between Israel and an Arab state.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 17 September 1978
- Negotiation duration
- 12 days of secret negotiations
- Signing location
- The White House, Washington D.C.
- Nobel Peace Prize
- Shared by Sadat and Begin, 1978
- Number of frameworks
- 2
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Decades of conflict between Egypt and Israel, combined with broader Arab-Israeli tensions, created pressure for a negotiated settlement. U.S. President Jimmy Carter facilitated direct talks, bringing Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin together in a secret diplomatic summit to address territorial and security disputes.
Over twelve days in September 1978, Sadat and Begin negotiated at Camp David under Carter's mediation. They signed two framework agreements on 17 September: one addressing a potential Egypt-Israel peace treaty, and another concerning the Palestinian territories. The signing took place at the White House with Carter as witness.
The second framework led directly to the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty, the first such accord between Israel and an Arab nation. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. However, the accords sparked widespread anger across the Arab world, as many viewed Egypt's unilateral peace as undermining collective Arab solidarity and sidelining Palestinian statehood.