The Steadfastness and Confrontation Front ( ar, ) was a political initiative of 4 December 1977 by the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and st ...

(PLO) and the governments of

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

, Syria and

South Yemen South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...

following the visit by Egyptian President

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...

to Israel on 19 November 1977,PLO call for the formation of the Front
at the Jewish Virtual Library. which was widely seen in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

as an abandonment of the previously-agreed principle of withholding recognition of Israel and as breaking the Arab alliance against Israel.

Background

The Steadfastness and Confrontation Front was formed in 1977 by the

(PLO) and the governments of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

, Syria and

. It was intended as a protest and a show of position after

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

had travelled to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

to meet

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'' (); pl, Menachem Begin (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ''Menakhem Volfovich Begin''; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. ...

and begin the peace negotiations that would eventually lead to the

Camp David Accords The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retr ...

. This Egyptian initiative was widely seen in the

as an abandonment of the previously-agreed principle of withholding recognition of Israel and as breaking the Arab alliance against Israel.

Purpose

The Front affirmed its rejection of

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

resolutions

242 Year 242 ( CCXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Lepidus (or, less frequently, year 995 ''Ab urbe cond ...

and 338 and reiterated the unwillingness to recognize Israel or negotiate with it as regards a

Palestinian state Palestine ( ar, فلسطين, Filasṭīn), officially the State of Palestine ( ar, دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn, label=none), is a state located in Western Asia. Officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (P ...

. It also condemned every Arab government who did not join the Front, called for a boycott of Egypt, and emphasized the ties between Syria and the Palestinians. The Front did not explicitly call for Israel's destruction, but repeated the PLO's Ten Point Program calling for a Palestinian state on "any part of Palestinian land ... as an interim aim of the Palestinian Revolution". This had been interpreted, at least inside the PLO, as a step towards a

two-state solution The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiatio ...

and was highly controversial among Palestinians.

Palestinian and Arab response

The Front should not be confused with the

Rejectionist Front The Rejectionist Front (Arabic: جبهة الرفض) or Front of the Palestinian Forces Rejecting Solutions of Surrender (جبهة القوى الفلسطينية الرافضة للحلول الإستسلامية) was a political coalition formed ...

, which had been formed in 1974 and comprised hard-line radical Palestinian factions that had left the PLO after the

Palestinian National Council The Palestinian National Council (PNC) ( ar, المجلس الوطني الفلسطيني, "'Almajlis Alwataniu Alfilastiniu"') is the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and elects the PLO Executive Committee, which ...

adopted the PLO's Ten Point Program. The Front and its conflict with Egypt assisted in healing the rift between the PLO and those supporting the Rejectionist Front.

Boycott of Egypt

In 1977, the demand by Front members for sanctions to be imposed on Egypt was rejected by a majority of Arab countries.''The Economic Embargo of Egypt by Arab States: Myth and Reality'' by Victor Lavy, ''Middle East Journal'', Vol. 38, No. 3 (Summer, 1984), pp. 419-432. Published by: Middle East Institute. Following the Camp David conference in November 1978, however, at a summit meeting in Baghdad, a consensus of Arab states agreed to impose political and economic sanctions on Egypt. The position was a compromise, rejecting the strong sanctions advocated by the radical factions, in favour of the more moderate measures involving a condemnation of Egypt. Egypt was suspended from the Arab League in 1979, and its headquarters was moved from Cairo. Diplomatic relations with Egypt were severed by the Arab states. From 1981 to 1983 Egyptians and other Arabs continued to level harsh criticism and express outrage over Sadat's policies. In the mid-1980s anger toward Sadat began to dissipate and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...

restored relations with Egypt. Following that restoration, an Arab summit, held in Amman in mid-1987, led the other Arab states to restore relations with Egypt over the following two years. Then, in 1989, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq and Egypt formed the

Arab Cooperation Council The Arab Cooperation Council (ACC) was founded on 16 February 1989 by North Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. The ACC was created partly in response to the four countries being left out of the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC), partly out of a des ...

(ACC), Egypt regained its membership in the Arab League, and the League's headquarters returned to Cairo.Washington Institute
The Vindication of Sadat in the Arab World
by Saad Eddin Ibrahim, October 1993

References

{{reflist

Background

Purpose

Palestinian and Arab response

Boycott of Egypt

References

See also