But he also recognized that a history of war between the two countries, along with the deep suspicions of their leaders, could scuttle the negotiations. But, Eilts said, the Yom Kippur War, which Israel won, was a watershed event because it convinced Egypt that attacking Israel would be futile, even with the help of other Arab states, such as Syria. In 1974, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had succeeded in getting a partial Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had captured from Egypt in the Six-Day War in 1967. Then, in 1977, Egyptian Prime Minister Anwar Sadat made his historic visit to Jerusalem, where he was warmly welcomed. Six weeks later, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visited Ismailia, Egypt.
Autonomy is a very elastic word.
But Sadat was dissatisfied. After several failed meetings in 1978, the situation deteriorated. Carter decided that it was time for a summit, and that day he invited both leaders to Camp David. Nevertheless, Carter decided to have the summit. Both Begin and Sadat were disillusioned.