Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Sadat received a ruptuous welcome and red carpet treatment by his incredulous hosts -- his arch enemies Menachem Begin, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin. However, the historic trip to Jerusalem and his speech before the Knesset, which outraged Arabs and Palestinians, especially the late PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, failed to pave the way for a comprehensive Middle East peace

From top: Sadat's plane after landing at Ben Gurion Airport; Sadat inspecting the guard of honour; face to face with his former foes; Sadat addressing the Knesset; listening to Begin's speech; with Arafat before the visit

'If I said that I wanted to avert from all the Arab people the horrors of shocking and destructive wars I must sincerely declare before you that I have the same feelings and bear the same responsibility towards all and every man on earth, and certainly towards the Israeli people... Any life that is lost in war is a human life be it that of an Arab or an Israeli' -- Sadat

parent page (15 - 21 November 2007, issue #871)