Programme Of The Visit Of His Excellency The President Of The United States Of America And Mrs. Jimmy Carter To The Arab Republic Of Egypt, 8 to 10 March, 1979, Edward Sanders Papers (MS-727), AJA, Cincinnati, OH.

Egyptian ? Israeli Peace Treaty, 1979

The administration of President Jimmy Carter [1977-1981] was characterized by active United States involvement in the Middle East peace process. Edward Sanders, a Los Angeles Jewish communal leader, attorney and Democratic Party activist, served the Carter White House as Senior Advisor on Middle East Affairs from 1978 to 1980. In this role, Sanders served as a liaison between the Carter administration and the American Jewish community and was deeply involved in the negotiations leading up to the historic Camp David Accords.

In September 1978, President Carter hosted Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at his Camp David retreat for thirteen days of meetings and negotiations. Out of these meetings came the Camp David Accords which were completed on September 17, 1978.

When President Carter traveled to the Middle East the next year to finalize the treaty, Edward Sanders accompanied him. The program that Sanders received from the Egyptian Cabinet of the Grand Chamberlain during this trip gives a detailed outline of President Carter?s duties and itinerary for his time spent in Egypt from March 8 to 10, 1979.

Two weeks later, on March 26, 1979, the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty was signed by Sadat and Begin at the White House in Washington, D.C. This signing was a historic moment in Jewish-Arab relations, marking the first time an Arab country officially recognized Israel?s existence and opening the way for Egypt and Israel to establish diplomatic relations.

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