Photograph from the visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (left), alongside Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Gideon Hausner, chief prosecutor in the Eichmann trial, during a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem. November 20, 1977. Signed by Menachem Begin.
On November 9, 1977, Sadat declared in Egypt that he was willing “to go to the ends of the earth, even to their home, ” meaning the Israeli Knesset, in the name of peace. On November 15, Begin announced in the Knesset that an official invitation had been extended to President Sadat, and two weeks later, Sadat made a historic state visit to Israel – the first time in history that an Arab leader visited Israel during wartime. On November 19, Sadat landed at Ben-Gurion Airport and was received with full honors by Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The following day, he addressed the Knesset and called for advancing peace between Egypt and Israel. As part of his visit, Sadat toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, accompanied by Menachem Begin and Gideon Hausner, chief prosecutor in the Eichmann trial all three appear in the photograph presented here. At Yad Vashem, Sadat laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. In Jerusalem, Sadat also visited Al-Aqsa Mosque. That afternoon, a special session of the Knesset was held, where Sadat delivered a speech in Arabic, emphasizing his decision to “go to the land of the adversary while we are still in a state of war.” Approximately 3,000 journalists, broadcasters, and television crews came to Israel to cover the visit, and the event was broadcast live in the United States. Sadat’s visit marked a major turning point, which led directly to the Camp David Accords (1978) and the Israel–Egypt Peace Treaty (1979).
Size: 24×16 cm. Very good condition.
