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(1956) This
page deals witht the Suez War of 1956.
Please use the following information,
links and sources to learn more about the
Anglo-French attack on the Suez Canal and
the Israeli seizure of Egypt's Sinai
Peninsula. A
brief summary of the
campaign: In
1956, three of the Twentieth Century's
most dominant forces came together in a
short, violent clash in the Egyptian
regions known as the Suez Canal and the
Sinai Peninsula. These three forces, (or,
to use a literary term, themes),
were: Nationalism, the Cold War and the
Arab-Israeli
conflict.
Egypt and other Arab nations had recently
gained full independence from the empires
controlled by European powers such as
Great Britain and France. These young
nations with ancient cultures and
histories strove to gain economic and
military sufficiency while asserting their
political rights as free peoples. The Cold
War struggle between the mostly democratic
and capitalist West against the Communist
East dominated by the Soviet Union and
China both helped and hindered the
Nationalist goals of many African and
Asian countries. For example, Egypt sought
foreign aid in building the Aswan Dam
project which would control the wild Nile
River. The United States and Britain,
major players in the West, declined to
help Egypt because of her political and
military ties to the Soviet Union. The
Soviets eagerly rushed in to aid Egypt.
After this, Egypt came to be considered a
friend of the Soviets, and a nation not
overly friendly to the West. In this way,
the Cold War affected the young nation of
Egypt and her relations with the rest of
the world. The Arab-Israeli conflict began
in 1948 and caused Egypt and Israel to be
bitter foes until 1979. The second war
between these Middle East neighbors took
place in 1956. As
part of Egyptian President Nasser's
nationalist agenda, he took control of the
Suez Canal zone away from the British and
French companies which owned it. At the
same time, as part of his ongoing struggle
with Israel, Egyptian forces blocked the
Straits of Tiran, the narrow waterway that
is Israel's only outlet to the Red Sea.
Israel
and Egypt had clashed repeatedly since
their 1948 war as Egypt allowed and
encouraged groups of Palestinian fighters
to attack Israel from Egyptian territory.
In response, Israeli forces constantly
made cross-border raids in retaliation.
Britain and France, both of whom were in
the process of losing their centuries-old
empires, decided on a strategy straight
our of their 19th Century Imperial
histories. This plan led to a joint
invasion and occupation of the Suez Canal
zone by Britain and France. This was meant
to reassert control of this vital waterway
to the British and French companies stung
by Nasser's bold nationalization. At
France's suggestion, planning was
coordinated with Israel, a fact which all
three nations denied for years afterwards.
On
October 29, 1956, Israeli troops invaded
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and quickly
overcame opposition as they raced for
Suez. The next day, Britain and France,
following their part of the script,
offered to temporarily occupy the Canal
Zone and suggested a 10 mile buffer on
either side which would separate the
Egyptian forces from the Israelis. Nasser
of course refused, and on October 31,
Egypt was attacked and invaded by the
military forces of Britain and France. In
response to these developments, the Soviet
Union, which at the time was ruthlessly
suppressing an anti-Communist uprising in
Hungary, threatened to intervene on
Egypt's behalf. President Eisenhower of
the United States pressured Britain,
France and Israel into agreeing to a
cease-fire and eventual withdrawal from
Egypt. The United States, caught by
surprise by the dual invasions, was more
concerned with the Soviet war in Hungary
and the Cold War than with Britain and
France's dealings involving Suez. The last
thing President Eisenhower wanted was a
wider war over Suez. The war itself lasted
for only a week, and invading forces were
withdrawn within the month. As a result,
Egypt now firmly aligned herself with the
Soviet Union, which armed Egypt and other
Arab nations for the continuing struggle
against Israel. General
Links Arab-Israeli
Conflict--The
Hutchison Encyclopedia article on the
Arab-Israeli Wars. American
Reaction to the Suez
War--Places
the Suez Crisis and War within the proper
context of world affairs at the time and
explains America's reactions. Suez
1956--Very
good essay on the Suez Crisis written by
University of San Diego student Chris
Leininger. The
Suez War of 1956 : Table of
Contents--
Part of the Jewish Student Online Research
Center (JSOURCE). Anglo-French
Attack on the Suez Canal Suez
Canal War
(1956)--A
web page on French aviation details some
of the French units involved in the
war. Israeli
Invasion of the Sinai 1956
Sinai
Campaign--Article
on the Anti-Defamation League
website. Map
of the 1956 Sinai Campaign Egyptian
President Nasser Speech
by Nasser: Sept. 15,
1956--Nasser's
speech on the Suez Canal and negotiations
with Britain and France. Sources: Phillips, Charles, and
Alan Axelrod.Encyclopedia
of Wars. 1st
ed. New York: Facts on File, 2004.
Marshall,
S.L.A.Sinai
Victory: Command Decisions in History's
Shortest War: Israel's Hundred-Hour
Conquest of
Egypt.
Morrow, New York, 1958. Herzog,
Chaim.The
Arab-Israeli Wars: War and Peace in the
Middle East from the War of Independence
through
Lebanon.
Vintage Books, New York, 1982. Barker,
A.J.Arab-Israeli
Wars.
Hippocrene Books, New York,
1980. "The
History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Contact
the webmaster Lee,
R. "The History Guy: Arab-Israeli Wars: Suez/Sinai
War (1956) " http://www.historyguy.com/suez_war_1956.html Pages
on British, French, Israeli, and Arab
Military History Casualties: Israel: 899
wounded, 4
taken prisoner Egypt: 900
wounded, 185
taken prisoner vs.
Israeli forces-- 4,000
wounded, 6,000
taken prisoner France: 33
wounded Great
Britain: 96
wounded Site
Map--revision
in progress
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Media; Last Modified: 11.10.06
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189
killed,
vs.
French/British forces--
650
killed,
1,000
killed,
10
killed,
16
killed,