Preceden

Camp David Accords Timeline

(September 5 – September 17, 1978)

The Camp David Accords were landmark agreements signed on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David, Maryland, mediated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The accords established a framework for peace in the Middle East, leading to the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty and the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Diplomatic Background

Sadat first speaks about possibility of peace with Israel

Feb 1971

Anwar Sadat first spoke about the possibility of peace with Israel in February 1971. Egypt was the initiator of many moves toward peace in the region throughout the 1970s, laying early groundwork for eventual negotiations.

Image source: Camp David Accords

Sadat first speaks about possibility of peace with Israel

Carter adopts comprehensive multilateral approach

1977

Following the advice of a Brookings Institution report, Carter opted to replace the incremental, bilateral peace talks that had characterized Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy after the 1973 Yom Kippur War with a comprehensive, multilateral approach.

Carter assumes office and seeks to revive peace process

Jan 20, 1977

Upon assuming office on 20 January 1977, President Jimmy Carter moved to rejuvenate the Middle East peace process that had stalled throughout the 1976 presidential campaign in the United States.

Image source: Jimmy Carter

Carter assumes office and seeks to revive peace process

Menachem Begin takes office as Israeli prime minister

May 1977

Menachem Begin took over the office of Israeli prime minister from Yitzhak Rabin in June 1977. He specifically demanded that the PLO would be excluded from any peace talks. While officially favoring reconvening a conference, even accepting Palestinian presence, in actuality the Israelis and Egyptians were secretly formulating a framework for bilateral talks.

Image source: Menachem Begin

Menachem Begin takes office as Israeli prime minister

Sadat announces intention to go to Jerusalem

Nov 9, 1977

On 9 November 1977, Anwar Sadat startled the world by announcing his intention to go to Jerusalem and speak before the Knesset, a dramatic gesture signaling Egypt's willingness to negotiate directly with Israel.

Image source: Egypt–Israel relations

Sadat announces intention to go to Jerusalem

Preliminary Cairo Conference held

Dec 1977

Sadat's visit to Jerusalem was the first step to negotiations such as the preliminary Cairo Conference in December 1977, which began formal discussions between Egypt and Israel.

Image source: Cairo

Preliminary Cairo Conference held

Carter meets Middle Eastern leaders in first year

Dec 31, 1977

By the end of his first year in office, Carter had met with Anwar El Sadat of Egypt, Hussein of Jordan, Hafez al-Assad of Syria, and Yitzhak Rabin of Israel as part of his effort to advance Middle East peace.

International Reactions

Sadat and Begin awarded shared Nobel Peace Prize

1978

Due to their agreement at Camp David, Sadat and Begin received the shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing their efforts to achieve peace between Egypt and Israel.

Image source: Nobel Peace Prize

Sadat and Begin awarded shared Nobel Peace Prize

UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 33/28 A

Dec 1978

In December 1978, the UN declared in Resolution 33/28 A that agreements were only valid if they were within the framework of the United Nations and its Charter and resolutions, included the Palestinian right of return and the right to national independence and sovereignty in Palestine, and were concluded with the participation of the PLO.

Egypt suspended from the Arab League

1979 - 1989

Following its peace treaty with Israel, Egypt was suspended from the Arab League from 1979 until 1989, reflecting widespread Arab opposition to the separate peace agreement.

Image source: Arab League

Egypt suspended from the Arab League

UN condemns partial agreements in Resolution 34/70

Dec 6, 1979

On 6 December 1979, the UN condemned in Resolution 34/70 all partial agreements and separate treaties that did not meet Palestinian rights and comprehensive solutions to peace; it condemned Israel's continued occupation and demanded withdrawal from all occupied territories.

Image source: United Nations Security Council Resolution 446

UN condemns partial agreements in Resolution 34/70

Negotiations and Agreements

Begin and Sadat converge on Camp David for negotiations

Sep 5, 1978 - Sep 17, 1978

Accompanied by their capable negotiating teams and with their respective interests in mind, the Israeli and Egyptian leaders Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat converged on Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland, for thirteen days of tense and dramatic negotiations from 5 to 17 September 1978, brokered by President Carter.

Camp David Accords signed

Sep 17, 1978

The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David.

Framework for Peace in the Middle East agreed

Sep 17, 1978

The Camp David Accords comprised two separate agreements, the first being "A Framework for Peace in the Middle East," which addressed broader regional issues including the Palestinian question.

Image source: Camp David Accords

Framework for Peace in the Middle East agreed

Framework for Conclusion of a Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel

Sep 17, 1978

The second agreement of the Accords, "A Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel", led directly to the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty signed in March 1979.

Egypt–Israel peace treaty signed

Mar 1979

The second framework of the Camp David Accords led directly to the Egypt–Israel peace treaty signed in March 1979, formally establishing peace between the two nations.

Image source: Egypt–Israel peace treaty

Egypt–Israel peace treaty signed

Aftermath and Legacy

Normalization of relations between Egypt and Israel takes effect

Jan 1980

The normalization of relations between Israel and Egypt went into effect in January 1980, implementing provisions of the peace treaty.

Regular airline flights inaugurated between Egypt and Israel

Mar 1980

In March 1980, regular airline flights between Egypt and Israel were inaugurated, a concrete sign of the normalization of relations following the peace treaty.

Sadat assassinated during Cairo victory parade

Oct 6, 1981

President Sadat's signing of the Camp David Accords and his shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize led to his assassination on 6 October 1981 by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Egypt's crossing of the Suez Canal.

Image source: Assassination of Anwar Sadat

Sadat assassinated during Cairo victory parade

Sadat's assassins tried, sentenced, and executed

Apr 15, 1982

The surviving assassins were tried and found guilty of assassinating the president and killing 10 others in the process; they were sentenced to capital punishment, and were executed on 15 April 1982.

Jaffee Center poll shows lasting Israeli support for accords

2001

In Israel, there is lasting support of the Camp David Peace Accords, which have become a national consensus, supported by 85% of Israelis according to a 2001 poll taken by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (Israel-based).

Adam Curtis documentary The Power of Nightmares released

2004

Adam Curtis' 2004 documentary The Power of Nightmares, in its second and third parts, studies the Camp David Accords from the point of view of fundamentalist Muslims.

Image source: The Power of Nightmares

Adam Curtis documentary The Power of Nightmares released

Peace in the Making correspondence published

2011

Peace in the Making: The Menachem Begin – Anwar Sadat Personal Correspondence was published by Gefen Publishing House in 2011, documenting the personal exchanges between the two leaders.

Filiu and Khalidi criticize 'autonomy' concept of accords

2013 - 2014

French historian Jean-Pierre Filiu, diplomatic adviser to three French ministers between 1990 and 2002, and U.S.-born historian Rashid Khalidi, in 2013–2014 criticised the concept of 'autonomy' as used in the Camp David Accords: it is "devoid of meaning and content" and does not facilitate Palestinians' "right to liberty and self-determination."

Image source: Rashid Khalidi

Filiu and Khalidi criticize 'autonomy' concept of accords

Khalidi links autonomy concept to Oslo Accords

2013 - 2014

Historian Rashid Khalidi asserted that the flawed non-sovereignty concept used in the Camp David Accords would be repeated in the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Image source: Oslo Accords

Khalidi links autonomy concept to Oslo Accords

Key Facts

  1. The Camp David Accords resulted from twelve days of intensive secret talks at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland, from September 5 to September 17, 1978.
  2. U.S. President Jimmy Carter personally mediated the negotiations between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
  3. The accords consisted of two framework agreements: one for peace between Egypt and Israel, and another outlining principles for Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
  4. As part of the agreement, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, which it had occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War, and Egypt became the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel.
  5. The accords led directly to the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty signed on March 26, 1979, earning Sadat and Begin the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978; Sadat was later assassinated in 1981 by extremists opposed to the peace process.

Source

This Camp David Accords timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free