In response to Sadat’s demands, Begin replied, “Nobody can get anything for nothing.” At the time, Prime Minister Begin’s seeming “intransigence” was widely criticized from within and outside Israel. However, well before Sadat had made his dramatic trip to Israel, Israel had agreed to the principle of withdrawal, but the extent and implementation of such a withdrawal depended on the agreement to a peace accord, rather than anything less than a full peace e.g., a ceasefire or truce extension.

Ultimately, Egypt moderated its stance and dropped its demand for prior conditions. That development led to the successful Camp David Summit in 1978. The Summit led to a breakthrough agreement that paved the way to a bilateral peace agreement the following year.

Outlook for Lebanon-Israel Peace Treaty:

Given the above background information, odds appear to run strongly against the achievement of a bilateral Lebanon-Israel peace agreement in the near-term. Given the hazards of a weak Lebanese government, fragile sectarian balance coupled with Lebanon’s changing demographics, regional geopolitical situation that is arguably tilting more toward Iran, and possible procedural pitfalls, the obstacles are probably too great to overcome, particularly within the next 3-5 years, if not longer. Neither Egypt nor Jordan faced such an array of barriers. Egypt was a strong state, was guided by a visionary risk-taking leader, and had the political capacity to break free of Arab Rejectionism. Jordan’s King Hussein had enjoyed a long period of behind-the-scenes cooperation with Israel and a strong relationship with the United States, and those factors coupled with Egypt’s previously breaking the taboo of recognizing Israel, greatly reduced the risks of his formalizing peace with Israel.