After thirty years of fighting, Israel and Egypt came together to sign a peace treaty on March 26, 1979. The fighting between the two went all the way back to 1917.

Hostility Begins

In 1917, the British came out in support of the Jewish people in Palestine. The tension grew until 1948 when the Arab-Israeli War began. The war continued for thirty years.

Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on their holiest day, Yom Kippur, in 1973. It was a sneak attack. The two countries wanted to get the upper hand on the nation of Israel, just as Israel did with Egypt in 1967.

In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel was able to take over the Sinai Peninsula, and Egypt was determined to get it back. Their initial sneak attack worked.

But, Egypt and Syria's victory was short-lived. Syria's hold in the Golan Heights began to falter, and Israel was able to break into Syrian territory.

The Israel Defense Forces then went after the Egyptians, who were able to gain ground in Sinai. However, the IDF was completely focused on them once Syria was out of the way.

Pushing Back Egypt

Egypt held its ground for a while, but it did not last long. They fought with the IDF for three weeks.

Israel was able to cross the Suez into Egypt and stopped six miles away from Egypt's capital. When Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat visited Israel in 1977, he was the first Arab leader to do so. He came to discuss with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

President Jimmy Carter helped the two countries negotiate the peace treaty at Camp David in Maryland. Finally, after seven months of negotiations, it was officially signed at the White House.

The peace treaty was the basis for ongoing diplomatic and commercial relations between the two countries, which have held up since its signing.