Word: egyptians
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Sadat continued the discussion in a two-hour private discussion with Begin. Remarked the Egyptian President at one point: "We've always had a Kissinger between us. I'm happy to see that we get along so well without dear Henry." In none of the talks did Sadat show any interest in bilateral negotiations that might lead to a separate peace settlement. That, he said, "would split the Arab world and put Egypt and myself in an impossible position...
Responding to sharp Palestinian criticism of his trip, Sadat on his return home shut down the Egyptian Voice of Palestine, a P.L.O. radio station, and expelled 20 Palestinians who had tried to organize demonstrations against his mission. He also arranged for Egypt's majority political group, the Arab Socialist Party, to invite leaders of Palestinian Arabs who live on the West Bank to Cairo for consultations about the resumption of Geneva talks. The invitation pointedly called on the Palestinian people "to differentiate between those who seek peace and those who want to destroy everything...
Sadat's initiative has already had a small but discernible impact at the United Nations, that uncertain barometer of the global mood. Egyptian Ambassador Esmat Abdel Meguid walked out during an anti-Sadat diatribe by his Syrian colleague, though he later cast Egypt's vote for a Syrian-inspired resolution condemning Israel's occupation of Arab lands. During the debate he smiled and nodded through a speech by Israel's Chaim Herzog. In his address, Abdel Meguid had said, "Let us have a fifth battle for peace," referring to four previous wars between Israel...
...presence of television undoubtedly changed the significance of the Sadat visit. The Egyptian President said that 70% of the Middle East problem is psychological-and TV produced stunning effects in establishing a new psychology in Israel and Egypt, if not in the rest of the area. TV surely influenced the way that Begin and Sadat behaved. It was as if they were governed by something like Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which says that merely observing an event subtly alters it. Though both are experienced hams, Sadat and Begin knew (as televisionwise antiwar demonstrators of the '60s chanted) that...
...culture is by no means the first one to face a crisis threatening its whole survival may console those who are comforted in adversity by company (though the companions in this instance are all dead) but otherwise there seem to be few points of reference between an Ancient Egyptian despotism and a democracy today. Harris' focus on technology defeats itself when one considers the developments in science alone of the last century and a half. The book does not provide a step into understanding the destiny of our culture. It does add a wealth of fascinating material to the debate...