Why were the west bank and gaza such difficult situations for egypt and israel to settle?
The West Bank isn’t really related to Egypt. Jordan had it before the last war and seems to have been suckered into its participation in that war. Being more moderate than other Arab countries in the region, they’ve done a good job of walking the tightrope. Gaza is a hot potato that neither really wants to hold onto. It would probably suit the interests of both if it fell into the sea. The two countries could have dealt with it over a cup of tea if that’s all there was to it. But Sadat knew the internal politics of his country, and he has to have known the risk he ran of eventually winding up with his fate: assassination because he gave up something he didn’t want. This is the central point that Israel keeps trying to make but too many choose to ignore: there are too many people in the region who will not accept any peace that includes Israel’s existence. Israel, obviously, would also like to be done with the region, but as long as it’s used as a base for attacks against them they dare
