Sadat, Anwar el-, << suh DAHT, AHN wahr ehl >> (1918-1981), was president of Egypt from 1970 until his death in 1981. Under his leadership, Egypt negotiated with Israel to end the long-standing conflict between the two countries. Sadat gained admiration throughout much of the world for his peacemaking efforts. But many Arabs in Egypt and elsewhere severely criticized him. Sadat was assassinated on Oct. 6, 1981, by Egyptian militants who opposed his harsh policies against his own people.
Sadat became president in 1970 after the death of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Sadat broke Egypt’s ties with the Soviet Union and worked to develop better relations with the United States. Sadat also demanded the return of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had occupied in 1967. In 1973, Egypt and Syria began a war with Israel to try to regain Israeli-occupied territories. The Arab states did not succeed. But Sadat’s attack against Israeli occupation raised his popularity among Arabs and drew U.S. attention to the need for Middle East stability. See Middle East (The 1970’s and 1980’s).
After the war, Sadat’s government reached agreements with Israel under which Israeli troops withdrew from parts of the Sinai. In 1977, Sadat made a historic trip to Israel and addressed the Israeli Knesset (parliament). In 1978, Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin met in the United States for talks arranged by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The discussions resulted in the Camp David Accords, a major agreement that included plans for Israel’s withdrawal from all of the Sinai. The agreement also called for an Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts. A peace treaty was signed in 1979. Israel completed its withdrawal from the Sinai in 1982.
Sadat’s treaty with Israel was extremely unpopular in the Arab world, mainly because Egypt failed to resolve the conflict’s main issue—the Palestinian struggle against Israel. In 1981, Sadat cracked down on his political opposition in Egypt by ordering the arrest of about 1,600 people. Shortly afterward, he was assassinated in Cairo.
Sadat was born on Dec. 25, 1918, in a village in the Nile River Delta. He graduated from the Egyptian Military Academy in 1938. He then joined Nasser and other young army officers in a group that worked to overthrow the government and rid Egypt of British troops. Sadat was imprisoned in the 1940’s for his activities. In 1952, he helped lead the revolt that overthrew King Faruk. Sadat held a series of government positions after the uprising. He was vice president of Egypt from 1964 to 1967 and from 1969 to 1970.
See also Arab-Israeli conflict; Egypt (Renewed warfare and peace).
