Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David

382 Pages·2014·12.64 MB·English

by  Lawrence Wright

Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter, and Menachem Begin on the porch of the Aspen Lodge

THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
Copyright © 2014 by Lawrence Wright All rights reserved. Published in the United States by
Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC, New York, and in Canada by Random House
of Canada Limited, Toronto, Penguin Random House Companies.
www.aaknopf.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
Maps on pages this page and this page by Mapping Specialists.
ISBN: 978-0-385-35203-1 (hardcover) ISBN: 978-0-38535204-8 (eBook) Front-of-jacket
photograph: President Anwar Sadat, President Jimmy Carter, and Prime Minister Menachem
Begin at Camp David, September 6, 1978 (detail), by Marlon S. Trikoso. Courtesy of the Library
of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Jacket design by Chip Kidd
v3.1
For Ann Close
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Maps
Author’s Note
PROLOGUE
DAY ONE
DAY TWO
DAY THREE
DAY FOUR
DAY FIVE
DAY SIX
DAY SEVEN
DAY EIGHT
DAY NINE
DAY TEN
DAY ELEVEN
DAY TWELVE
DAY THIRTEEN
EPILOGUE
Acknowledgments and Notes on Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Photographic Credits
A Note About the Author
Other Books by This Author

Author’s Note
Three men, representing three religions, met for thirteen days at the
presidential retreat of Camp David in the autumn of 1978 in order to
solve a dispute that religion itself had largely caused. Beliefs built on
ancient texts and legends conspired to create one of the most obdurate
conflicts of modern times, one that has drowned the Middle East in a
timeless blood feud, brought the superpowers of the time to the brink of
nuclear war, flooded the region with refugees, and spawned terrorist
movements that have created mayhem and heartbreak all over the
world. This book is an account of how these three flawed men,
strengthened but also encumbered by their faiths, managed to forge a
partial and incomplete peace, an achievement that nonetheless stands as
one of the great diplomatic triumphs of the twentieth century and one
that has yet to be repeated.
When the leaders of Egypt and Israel met at Camp David, their two
countries had engaged in four wars in the previous thirty years—five, if
one counts the so-called War of Attrition, which occupied the two
countries between 1969 and 1970. The conflict began as part of a larger
struggle for Israel’s existence, but it evolved into a tug-of-war over
territory—mainly, the Sinai Peninsula—and the right of the Palestinians
to return to their former homeland. Although clashes continue between
Israel and its other neighbors, the Camp David agreement removed the
only Arab adversary that posed a genuine military threat to the future of
Israel. And yet the peace envisioned between Israel and the Palestinians
was never fully implemented, which is why the turmoil in the region
continues.
The reader will observe that there are three chronologies at work in
this book. The thirteen days of the Camp David summit form the
architecture of this account. Beneath that is a history of the modern
Middle East as seen through the eyes of the remarkable men who were
present at the negotiation and in many respects made that history. At
bottom are the tectonic plates of the three religions as revealed in the
stories of the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. The struggle for peace at
Camp David is a testament to the enduring force of religion in modern
life, as seen in its ability to mold history and in the difficulty of shedding
the mythologies that continue to lure societies into conflict.
War seldom achieves what was expected or hoped for by its
participants; even victory often breeds a future defeat. The Middle East
from distant times till now is a cautionary story of the failure of war to
impose a lasting and just peace. There is never a perfect time or ideal
people to bring an end to bloody conflicts, and unlike the talent for war,
the ability to make peace has always been rare. The goal of this book is
to provide some insight into how that arduous process is accomplished,
even by violent men who are prejudiced by their backgrounds,
hampered by domestic politics, and blinded by their beliefs. Camp David
tells us of the compromises that peace demands, and of the courage and
sacrifice required of leaders whose greatest challenge is to overcome
their own limitations.