ABSTRACT
Anwar el-Sadat, who succeeded President Nasser in September 1970, was perhaps the most dynamic political leader in the Middle East between 1970 and 1979; he made war (1973) and peace (1979), forcing the Israelis to respond to his initiatives. With hindsight we can say that Sadat, more than any other Middle Eastern leader at that time, transformed the international relationships of the region, and also — though indirectly and unintentionally — altered the political situation in Israel itself. By taking Israel by surprise and successfully launching an attack across the Suez Canal on 6 October 1973, he managed to put in train events which eventually resulted in Israelis turning against their leadership and voting for a right-wing Likud government under Menachem Begin, with whom Sadat eventually signed a landmark peace accord on 26 March 1979.
