30 Years After Camp David

Thirty years ago, Egyptian president Anwar El-Sadat signed the Camp David Accords, which is a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. For some people, most Egyptians to be more specific, the peace treaty symbolizes a complete loss of dignity, as Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize the state of Israel. For others, it is a huge leap forward as it marked the end of three decades of hostility between the two countries.

Personally, I partially support the former opinion, but I believe the international and domestic pressures that were exerted upon Sadat would have not allowed any other decision. Israel has been, and will always be our ultimate enemy, with or without a peace treaty. Israel is occupying the Palestinian land, slaughtering the families, brutally slaying women, children and the elderly. Palestinians are made guilty for resisting the Israeli terror and are called terrorists, for defending their land.

The treaty did, however, get us our land back. Sinai, which has been occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War, was retrieved back with all the Israeli forces and civilian inhabitants withdrawn back to Israel.

"Peace is much more precious than a piece of land... let there be no more wars." - Anwar El-Sadat

Some believe that this was the only guaranteed way for us, Egyptians, to get our land back, which is partially true because any further war would mean more casualties and not necessarily ending with free land. With that being known, it is clear that Sadat was aware of this fact and did the right thing for our country. He did not want to risk the lives of the Egyptian youth. He truely was a political mastermind. He understood the mentality of Israel and the United States and knew how to act upon their decisions.

Without this treaty, it would have been difficult to reach what we've reached today, which is an accomplishment despite the substandard advancements, and war would have caused more destruction and casualties.