What are the Camp David Accords? Who are the two main parties and what did they accomplish?

The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, after twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retreat of the President of the United States in Maryland. The two framework agreements were witnessed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who played the critical role of mediator during the talks.

The two main parties involved were Egypt and Israel. The accords accomplished several key things:

1. They led to a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, the first between Israel and an Arab state. 2. They included a framework for the establishment of an autonomous regime in the Palestinian territories, which were then under Israeli occupation but did not directly lead to a Palestinian state. 3. The agreements sought to normalize relations between Egypt and Israel, which implied a recognition by Egypt of Israel's right to exist. 4. Part of the deal included the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had captured from Egypt during the Six-Day War in 1967.

The signing of the Camp David Accords was a historic event because it marked the beginning of a peace process in the Middle East. Despite the significant progress, the accords also faced criticism, particularly from other Arab nations and the Palestinian leaders, since the Palestinian issue was not fully resolved.