Under the treaty, which was first of its kind between Israel and an Arab country, the two nations agreed to end the state of war that had been dragging since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and to establish diplomatic and commercial ties, provided that Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, which it had seized from Egypt during the Six Day War in 1967. This agreement emerged in the wake of the Camp David Accords signed earlier in September 1978 and outlining the framework for the peace treaty and for the establishment of an autonomous self-governing authority in the West Bank and the Gaza strip.

It is noteworthy that President Sadat and PM Begin were jointly awarded the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in forging the Camp David Accords. However, Sadat’s rapprochement with the Israelis wasn’t greeted with as much acclaim in the Arab world. A strike was held in the West Bank in protest of the treaty and angry demonstrators took to the streets and stormed the Egyptian embassy in Kuwait, deeming the settlement a betrayal of the Arab cause. Not only did Sadat lost his popularity for his decision to shake hands with Israel, but also his life as he was assassinated by extremist Islamists on October 6, 1981 during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal. Egypt’s membership in the Arab League was also suspended and wasn’t reinstated until 1989.

Despite having been able to withstand many challenges throughout the years, the Israeli-Egyptian Peace treaty has been navigating risky waters recently, especially following the fall of Hosni Moubarak, Israel’s staunchest ally in the Arab region. On a relevant note, Egypt terminated in April 2012 its long-term gas supply deal with Israel, a move that has been sought for long by the Egyptian opposition during Moubarak’s term. Israelis slammed the termination of the gas deal as a violation of the economic agreement of the Camb David Accords. Some fear that this move might start paving the way for tense relations between the two countries.

Jordan followed in Egypt’s footsteps, thus becoming the second country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.