
Anwar Sadat was President of Egypt from 1970 to 1981 and was one of the key architects of peace between Egypt and Israel. A career military professional, he participated in the 1952 coup that overthrew King Farouk, then the leader of Egypt. After becoming president, he embarked on peace negotiations with Israel. He met Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and participated in peace talks at Camp David with Jimmy Carter. In 1979, Sadat and Begin were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1981 in Cairo by religious extremists.
During a period when most Arab leaders were opposed to Israel on hard-line ideological grounds, Anwar Sadat was realistic. Sadat believed that negotiating with Israel was the path to peace and security. Sadat also carefully studied the domestic Egyptian political atmosphere to ensure that he had the necessary popular support to embark on negotiations with Israel. Sadat's astute leadership marked the beginning of an era of peace and stability between Egypt and Israel.