Peacemaking also cost Sadat, and to some extent Egypt,
dearly. Egypt had been the figurative center of the Arab world
and the headquarters of its diplomatic bloc, the Arab League.
As punishment for Egypt’s treaty with Israel, the Arab League
expelled Egypt and relocated its headquarters. Most Arab
countries also broke diplomatic ties with Egypt. Within the
country, there was little heartfelt warmth about the treaty
with Israel, and a state of “cold peace” settled in between the
countries. Some Egyptians, particularly those who advocated
a radical form of Islam as an alternative to Egypt’s secular
politics, denounced Sadat as an un-Islamic traitor who had
sold out to Israel and the West. One such faction, Islamic Jihad,
succeeded in assassinating President Sadat during a military
parade in Cairo on October 6, 1981. He was succeeded by his
vice president, Hosni Mubarak, who continues today as one
of the world’s longest-serving elected presidents. During his
initial years in office, perhaps his most significant contribution
was gaining Egypt’s reinstatement in the Arab League in 1989.
In fact, the league’s headquarters returned to Cairo.