By Mark D. Zimmerman
MELVILLE, New York — Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing her efforts to support democracy in her country. Machado, a Conservative former member of the Venezuelan national assembly, has opposed the socialist rule that has dominated the country for the past 25 years, and in particular, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been condemned by human rights advocates. After last year’s presidential election, Machado and her supporters were able to show evidence that the election was stolen, with Maduro’s opponent actually winning by a 2 to 1 margin. But Maduro instituted a brutal crackdown against his opposition, forcing Machado to go into hiding, where she continued her efforts to restore democracy, leading to her receiving the Nobel Prize.
Donald Trump had been nominated for this year’s prize for his efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Twice before, the Nobel Peace Prize was given in recognition of peace efforts between Israel and its Arab neighbors. In 1978 the award was given to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and in 1994 the award was shared by Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres of Israel and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.
When Jimmy Carter met with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin in 1978 to forge what became the Camp David Accords (leading to the Nobel Prize) Carter focused on private meetings of the three leaders separate from the many policy advisors who accompanied the leaders. Early on, President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter walked into the office at Carter’s Camp David cabin, followed by Begin and Sadat. There was an awkward moment as the two Middle East leaders had to decide who would enter next.
How did Rosalynn Carter later describe how this scene played out?
A. As the First Lady wrote later, the two men stood there, each hesitating in order to let the other enter first. Said Rosalynn, “Jimmy said to me that Begin would never go ahead of Sadat, being perfectly proper according to protocol—president above prime minister.”
B. Said Rosalynn Carter, “I looked back as the two men stood there, side by side. Suddenly Sadat looked at Begin and motioned for him to go, saying ‘Please, sir, age before beauty.’ Begin froze in his place and glared at Sadat as the Secret Service agents stiffened. I held my breath as Begin lifted his hand and pointed his finger in Sadat’s face, until he spoke, saying, ‘You are one funny guy, Anwar,’ as a smile burst out across his face.”
C. As the First Lady wrote later, the two men stood there, each hesitating in order to let the other enter first. Said Rosalynn, “Jimmy said to me that Sadat would never go ahead of Begin, being perfectly proper according to protocol—prime minister above president.”
D. In Rosalynn Carter’s autobiography, First Lady From Plains, she wrote, “It was so moving to see Mr. Sadat step aside at the door and say to Prime Minister Begin, ‘Your people are taught to love your neighbors as yourself because you were strangers in Egypt. Please, Mr. Begin, you go first. And I assure you that you will no longer be a stranger in Egypt.’ ”
E. Rosalynn Carter spoke of this moment in Jonathan Alter’s biography, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life, where she said, “My husband and I entered the cabin, but I then noticed that the two gentlemen were still standing outside. ‘You first,’ said Begin, to which Sadat replied, ‘No sir, please, you go.’ Each held his ground until the almost 6 foot tall Sadat finally said to the diminutive Begin, ‘Please, my friend, hop on board,’ after which Begin climbed upon Sadat’s shoulders and they entered together.”
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Link to answer: https://rrrjewishtrivia.com/nobel-peace-prize-answer.html
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Mark D. Zimmerman is an author and freelance writer based in Melville, New York.