Egypt and Israel – Was There a Peace Opportunity Missed in 1971?

In israeli and American publications it has been stated that in the early Sadat years, notably in 1971,a peace process between Egypt and Israel could have been launched but was not. For this default Israel is mostly blamed. The assertion is made that when Sadat became president after Nasser’s death (28 September 1970), Egypt was ready for a new start in its relations with Israel, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War could have been averted. ¹ Sadat is supposed to have signalled his readiness to break the stalemate between Egypt and Israel in an address he made to the National Assembly of Egypt on 4 February 1971. That speech was soon to become a key element in what followed. It is argued that Israel failed to take note of the supposed signals contained in Sadat’s speech and its slow and unimaginative response caused the failure of American diplomatic efforts.