reversed as Israeli troops encircled and cut off the Egyptian
Army within the Sinai. A cease-fire was declared. Egypt did
not regain the Sinai Peninsula, but gained a moral victory for
challenging Israel. And Egypt did obtain something from the
conflict—renewed control of the Suez Canal, which had been
closed to shipping since the 1967 war. Egypt now had a sorely
needed source of money.
Sadat’s last bold, risky step was to enter into peace talks
with Israel. He decided to overcome the long-standing regional
policy that no Arab nation should accept Israel’s right to exist.
In 1977, he flew to Israel, and television viewers around the
world witnessed his historic handshake with Israeli prime