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1st
October 1978
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| Establishment
of the National Democratic Party |
The
National Democratic Party (NDP) was established on
1 October 1978 with President Anwar Sadat as its leader
and Hosni Mubarak as vice president. The NDP adheres
to a presidential parliamentary system. According
to the principles of the party, the People's Assembly
nominates a president and the candidate runs for presidency
via public referendum. For the party, press is the
fourth authority in the state.
On
the domestic level, the NDP is in favour of the enhancement
of domestic rule and the public sector, and the submission
of the private sector to systems that ensure social
peace. The NDP expanded the open-door economic policy
and advocated the green revolution. The party also
underscored the principle of free education. On the
foreign level, the NDP advocates Arab solidarity and
the consolidation of ties with Islamic and African
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6th
October 1973
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The
October War
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The
October War is a landmark in contemporary military
thought. Conflict between Egypt and Israel passed
through four stages: 1) defiance and persistence (June
1967-August 1968); 2) deterrence and active defence
(September 1968-February 1969); 3) attrition (March
1969-August 1970); and 4) a ceasefire, resulting in
the battle of 6 October 1973.
The
crossing plan included the identification of military
goals and phases of execution, mobilisation of battle
scenes, intensive training for the armed forces, and
a high level of coordination between the Egyptian
and the Syrian armed forces, allowing the war to start
simultaneously on both fronts.
At zero hour,
220 Egyptian aircraft flew to Sinai, dealing devastating
blows to Israeli troops. Within less than six hours
from the beginning of the battle, more than 80,000
Egyptian infantry and armoured divisions had occupied
a five-kilometre area of the Suez Canal. Violent fighting
continued along the Sinai front until the Security
Council issued a ceasefire resolution on 22 October
1973.
By
launching a surprise attack, Egypt was able to cross
the Suez Canal and cut through Israel's strong defence
fortifications, including the Bar Lev line. What is
most important about the October War is that it paved
the way for the achievement of a peace based on justice,
leading to the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace
treaty in 1979.
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6th
October 1981
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Assassination
of Anwar Sadat
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Anwar
Sadat is one of the most controversial political
leaders in the modern history of the region. He
was a visionary, far ahead of his time in his actions
and practice. He was born in the Menoufiya governorate
in Egypt in 1918. He graduated from the Military
Academy and served in Alexandria, Cairo and Menkebad,
in Sudan, where he met Gamal Abdel-Nasser.
Sadat
joined virtually all the underground anti-colonial
associations active during the 1940s. On 23 July
1952, he broadcast the statement of the revolution
to the Egyptian people. He assumed many executive
posts during Nasser's rule and was nominated vice
president one year before Nasser's death. Working
with Nasser, he learned the dangerous game of nation-building
in a world of superpower rivalries.
Succeeding
Nasser, he soon proved his leadership abilities.
Domestic crisis and international intrigue presented
Sadat with seemingly insurmountable problems. The
Egyptian economy continued to suffer the effects
of war with Israel and Egypt's relationship with
the Soviets started to deteriorate. Behind the scenes,
Sadat started to retake Sinai from the Israelis,
and on 6 October 1973 he struck.
The
attack created a new desire for peace both in Egypt
and Israel. Convinced that peace with Israel would
reap an enormous peace dividend, Sadat initiated
his most important diplomatic ploy. In an unprecedented
step, he paid a visit to Jerusalem and addressed
the Israeli Knesset in a speech that initiated a
new momentum for peace. This culminated in the 1978
Camp David Accords and a final peace treaty with
Israel in 1979. For his efforts, Sadat won the Nobel
Prize for peace.
At
home, Sadat's new relationship with the West and
his peace treaty with Israel generated considerable
opposition, especially among fundamentalist groups.
In 1980 and 1981, he took desperate gambles to respond
to these new internal problems. He negotiated a
number of loans to support improvement in citizens'
everyday life.
On
6 October 1981, Sadat was assassinated by fundamentalists
during a military parade celebrating the 1973 Suez
crossing.
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8th
October 1951
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Abolition
of the 1936 Treaty
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The
Anglo-Egyptian
Treaty of August 1936 brought the British military
occupation of Egypt to an end. The treaty stated
that neither party would engage in an alliance with
a foreign party against the other. The treaty stipulated
the right of Britain to use Egypt's airports, seaports
and roads in case of any war in which Britain was
engaged. The treaty also gave British troops the
right to remain in the Canal Zone.
The
evacuation of the Canal Zone remained an important
issue for Egyptians, especially after the second
world war. When ad hoc negotiations failed in 1946,
Egypt submitted the case before the Security Council,
which referred the issue once more to the disputing
parties. The treaty was cancelled on 8 October 1951
after the failure of negotiations on the evacuation
of the Canal Zone and unity with Sudan.
In
a parliamentary session on 8 October 1951, Mustafa
Al-Nahas announced the cancellation of the treaty
stating that he had signed it for the sake of Egypt
and that was also why he was cancelling it. The
cancellation of the treaty led to what is known
as the Canal War.
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19th
October 1954
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The
Evacuation Treaty
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The
evacuation negotiations started on 1 May 1953. A first
agreement laying down general principles was initialled
on 27 July 1954 and a final one on 19 October 1954.
The agreement provided, among other things, for the
complete evacuation of British troops from Egyptian
territories within a period of 20 months from the
date of signature. It stated that the canal base be
maintained in viable military condition at all times,
for use in the event of external aggression on any
member state of the Arab League. |
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Tripartite
Aggression
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The
tripartite aggression of Israel, Britain and France
against Egypt came as a consequence of the Arabs'
insistence that Palestinian refugees return to their
homes, that Jerusalem be internationalised and that
Israel make territorial concessions before peace talks.
Israel charged that these demands would undermine
its security and refused them. Egypt then denied Israeli
ships use of the Suez Canal and blocked the straits
of Tiran (Israel's access to the Red Sea), which Israel
interpreted as an act of war. Border incidents between
Israel and Egypt escalated, erupting in the second
Arab-Israeli war in October-November 1956.
Britain
and France ostensibly joined the attack because of
their dispute with Gamal Abdel-Nasser, who had just
nationalised the Suez Canal. Israel scored a quick
victory, seizing the Gaza Strip within a few days.
The United Nations halted the fighting after a few
days, and a UN emergency force was sent to supervise
the ceasefire in the Canal Zone.
In
a rare instance of cooperation, the United States
and the Soviet Union supported the UN resolution forcing
the three invading countries to leave Egypt and Gaza.
By the end of the year, the forces withdrew from Egypt,
though Israel refused to leave Gaza until early 1957
and only after the United States had promised to help
resolve the conflicts and keep the straits of Tiran
open. |
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