The Begin–Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA), is an Israeli think tank that seeks to advance a "realist, conservative, Zionist agenda in the search for security and peace for Israel." The center's mission is to contribute to promoting peace and security in the Middle East, through policy-oriented researches on national security in the Middle East. It is located near the Political Science department within Bar-Ilan University. The center was founded by Thomas Hecht, a Jewish-Canadian Leader, and was dedicated to Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat who signed the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty, the first peace agreement ever signed between Israel and any other Arab country. According to Haaretz, BESA is traditionally regarded as a primarily right-wing organization that usually espouses pro-military views.