World Peace , is the concept of an ideal state of happiness, freedom and peace within and among all people and nations on earth. This idea of world non-violence is one motivation for people and nations to willingly cooperate, to create this state. Various religious and secular organizations have the stated aim of achieving world peace through addressing human rights, technology, education, engineering, medicine or diplomacy used as an end to all forms of fighting. Since 1945, the United Nations have operated under the aim to resolve conflicts without war or declarations of war.

Nonetheless, nations have entered numerous military conflicts since then. I strongly believe that we need to advocate the war side effects ,because war is literally mass murder and destruction. Innocent people and children die, entire cities become rubble ,dust and corpses like what happened in some Egyptian cities like Port Said City 1956.

Those lucky unharmed are often displaced in safe cities, away from the fire line like what happened with my father, mother and their families before the six days war of June 5^th, 1967. When Israeli airplanes attacked the Egyptian air force and destroyed many airfields. Between June 5 and June 11, Israeli Defense Forces led onslaughts against Egyptian forces in Sinai and Gaza, and against the Jordanian military in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel took over Arab land and expanded itself as a country.

During this war my father who is a pharmacist, after his college graduation ,served in the Egyptian military as a member of the medical unit equipped to care for wounded war soldiers. He was among a team of surgeons and nurses. While interviewing him , he described how painful and heart breaking to see young men, wounded badly, some of them won’t even make it alive out of war. He also mentioned that it was a blessing, not to know any of those wounded soldiers in person. Soldiers not only suffered on the battlefield. Veterans often needed long-term care owing to the physical and psychological impact of war. On the other side, civilians particularly children, can also suffer the effects of trauma.

The defeat of 1967 ,was the open wound from which the Egyptians never recovered. Till today ,The Egyptian still call this war نكسة ٦٧ – to be pronounced as “ Naksa 67”, which means in English “ the setback of 67″. My father told me that losing this war, was a big shock for the Egyptian nation, who thought themselves to be ready and fully equipped for this war based on the officials talks. My father called it Nasser’s 1967 illusion .

 

 

After the Naksa , the Egyptian army was re-organized and most of the officers and soldiers from the Naksa war were released from military service duty and he was released with a broken heart, my father said.

Six years later, Ramadan War , also known as the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, was a war fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel. The war took place mostly in Sinai and the Golan—occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War—with some fighting in African Egypt and northern Israel. Egypt’s initial war objective was to use its military to seize a foothold on the east bank of the Suez Canal and use this to negotiate the return of the rest of Sinai. In a heavy fighting that resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, led to the return of the Sinai to Egypt and normalized relations—the first peaceful recognition of Israel by an Arab country. My father heard about the victory news during his lunch break ,while he was working for a pharmaceutical company in Saudi Arabia. He felt so proud to be Egyptian and he wished if he served in the Egyptian military during this war instead. His voice was inspired by a sudden excitement, which conveyed his message clearly.

On November 20^th,1977, the former Egyptian president, Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat became the first  –and so far only – Arab leader to visit Israel and address the Knesset with a call for peace. Sadat ‘s visit heralded Israeli-Egyptian talks at Camp David a year later, and a full peace agreement in 1979.

The Egyptian public was divided into opponents and supporters of this historic visit. Its opponents even considered it as a betrayal to the Arab world, the Egyptian in particular. In the interview, my father as one of the visit’s supporters, told me how smart the former Egyptian president Anwar El-sadat was to take this step to create Egypt’s peaceful future. My father even mentioned his favorite one of Anwar El-sadat ‘s quotes : “ Fear is , I believe , a most effective tool in destroying the soul of an individual- and the soul of a people”.

This courageous historic visit was the cornerstone/foundation stone of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel ,which was signed 16 months after intense negotiations. The Egypt-Israel peace treaty was signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and witnessed by United States president Jimmy Carter. It took place at the White House , Washington, D.C. in March 26, 1979.

https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/world/meast/camp-david-accords-fast-facts/index.html

After decades of peace in Egypt, the public faced a new social and political turbulence. It started on January 25^th,2011 by demonstrations, marches , non-violent civil resistance, acts of civil disobedience and strikes. The Egyptian protesters’ grievances focused on legal and political issues ,including police brutality, state of emergency laws, lack of political freedom , civil liberty ,freedom of speech, corruption ,high unemployment ,food-price inflation and low wages.

 

Tahrir-square-cairo-june-30-2013-source-reuters-amr-dalsh.jpg

 

 

While this revolution started as non-violent civil movement, it didn’t last this way. Violent clashes took place ,which my father and my mother described them to be bloody and terrifying. My family went through a tough time during the curfew, looting by rioters which was instigated by plainclothes police officers and setting fire in government’s buildings. In those days, my father’s business – pharmacy- was broke into, and robbed. Cash and prescription addictive drugs were taken. Next door businesses ‘owners caught one of the thieves and tied him to the pharmacy fence then called my house to inform my father with the incident. My father showed up to the scene and later released the thief ,because there was no police force came for the arrest for three hours. It was a total mess situation.

This revolution caused chaos in Egypt for years starting from the former president Hosni Mubarak stepping down, to the Muslim Brotherhood taking power over ruling the country, to the current Egyptian president Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi ‘s administration ,for whom my father and mother voted.

Although, it wasn’t a smooth transition period of time but significant improvements to the domestic economic environment increased investor’s confidence in Egypt. The Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange is considered among the best ten emerging markets in the world. My father and mother witnessed the Egyptian transformation through the new infrastructure projects and the Real Estate developments. According to the UN conference on Trade and Development ‘s world investment report , Egypt was ranked the second largest country in attracting foreign investment in Africa.

Since Egypt is a safe place now, i would recommend if you add Egypt as a hot spot on your vacation list. Egypt is an interesting country ,to visit all its historical sightseeing ,beaches with white sand ,and amazing night life . This is a country never sleeps. Enjoy the real delicious food especially the Falafel.

 

 

Works Cited

 

1- Al Jazeera. “Nasser’s 1967 Disillusion.” Egypt News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 26 Mar. 2008, www.aljazeera.com/focus/arabunity/2008/03/2008525173155113657.html website.

2- Makovsky ,David. “Consequences of the 1967 war”. Policy Analysis .The Washington Institute. 12 January 2004, www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/consequences-of-the-1967-war.html website.

3- [Elsahy,Tamir] . (october 6,2015). Sadat Knesset Speech (with English subtitles). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsQ0bikGkXg&t=880s

4- “Camp David Accords Fast facts.”. CNN , 1 October 2018 .

5- Dalsh, Amr .(30 June 2013). Tahrir Square. Cairo . Retrieved from https://www.rt.com/news/tahrir-newborn-named-rebellion-474/