The Suez Crisis of 1956

Context: Syria

• Many Arab villages were located inside the demilitarised zone, which led to Israel trying to force these villagers out, and ended in small fights between both sides 

• They were disputes over Israel’s attempt to divert water from the River Jordan directly to Israeli land 

Context: Jordan

• Many Palestinians who were now part of Jordan attempted to cross into Israel to return to their homes 

• Many also crossed into the border to raid and attack Israeli settlements and villages

• Jordan attempted to restrain these raids but weren’t successful 

• After an Israeli woman and her two children were killed, Israeli forces attacked a Jordanian village, blowing up 45 houses and killing over 50 of the inhabitants. 

Context: Egypt

• The Egypt-Israeli border was the most violent 

  • There were frequent raids into Israeli territory by fedayeen fighters 

• 300,000 Palestinians were cramped into Gaza

• Most Palestinian trespassers just wanted to collect belongings and visit relatives in Israeli territory 

• the IDF carried out reprisal raids and retaliated disproportionately against Palestinians 

Context: Suez Canal

• Built by France in the 1860s

• 15,000 ships a year passed through

  • 1/3 were British 

• Britain had 70,000 troops stationed in the canal zone 

What was Nasser’s main aim?

For Egypt to stand as a free sovereign state, not reliant or hindered by the British Colonial government. 

What did Nasser convince the British to do in 1954?

• To remove their military troops surrounding the canal

  • This was amidst the Cold War, when western-capitalist countries were trying to win allies in the Middle East, to prevent Soviet expansion 

1955

February

Israeli attack on Gaza

• Israeli troops attacked and destroyed Egyptian military headquarters in Gaza

  • Retaliation for Egypt encouraging fedayeen raids into Israeli territory 

• Nasser began to equip and train fedayeen guerilla troops to carry out raids in Israel 

Fear of communism in the West - 

• Nasser announced the Czech Arms Deal in 1955

• Nasser remained neutral despite this 

  • USA and UK saw this as a threat

  • They began to fund the Aswan Dam project to regain control over Egypt 

• Nasser recognised Communist China, despite widespread opposition in the west

• USA and UK stopped payments in July in an attempt to force Nasser to cooperate with their ideals

• In retaliation Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal and used the funds to pay for the dam 

Western response to the nationalisation of Suez:

• France and Britain saw Nasser as ‘Hitler on the Nile’ and were determined not to give in

  • They agreed to sell Israel more weapons 

  • Began holding secret meetings to plot Nasser’s downfall 

• France also accused Nasser of sending weapons and aid to support Algerians in their fight for independence from France 

1956

October 29

Israeli forces invade Egypt 

• They moved across Sinai to the canal

1956

October 30

France and Britain order Egypt and Israel to cease fighting and withdraw from the canal 

• As planned, Israel agreed and Egypt refused

1956

October 31

British and French planes bombed Egyptian airfields and destroyed most of Egypt’s air force

1956

November 5

British and French troops land on Port Said and advance along the canal 

• Egypt sink ships filled with concrete to obstruct Anglo-French advancement

1956

November 6

UN declared a ceasefire and ordered Britain and France to withdraw