The+Suez+Crisis+-+1956

= The Suez Crisis of 1956 = Shayne & Susan well isn`t that cute :D

__**Summary:**__ - war begun by Britain, France and Israel against Egypt in order to humiliate Nasser and replace him with a pro-western leader - done after Egypt's leader, Nasser, chose to nationalize the Suez Canal after an offer by Britain and the USA to fund the Aswan Dam; however, due to Nasser's pro-communist views (Nasser officially recognized People's Republic of China) and anti-western propaganda, The US and Britain cancelled the loan. Nationalization was the response. - The US vetoed the International Monetary Fund and gave Britain a loan, who was facing financial collapse; though Britain wanted to increase their popularity in the region with military intervention against Egypt, this would have risked Washington becoming angry and Anglo-Arab relations suffering; Britain surrendered to the US' demands and stopped the invasion, and also ended a secret military pact with Israel and France; French accepted this reluctantly. - Due to the crisis, Nasser & Arab nationalism's popularity grew, as well as Soviet influence. - led to launching of Eisenhower Doctrine - French less connected to NATO: land & air forces withdrawn from NATO military command; NATO headquarters removed from France.


 * __ SOURCES: __**

[|Source A] //"On July 26, 1956, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal Company . He was retaliating against America’s broken promise over financing the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile, a project valued at $1.3 billion at the time. The Eisenhower administration had agreed to front Egypt $70 million in start-up costs and approved a World Bank loan of $200 million. But when// Egypt signed the arms deal with the Soviets, Eisenhower backed out.
 * //Extract(s)://**

Nasser figured he’d make up the lost money by nationalizing the Suez Canal and using the profits for dam construction. “This money is ours and the Suez Canal belongs to us,” he said. “The Suez Canal was built by Egyptians, and 120,000 Egyptians died building it. Thus, we shall build the High Dam our own way.

//"Even though Nasser in 1956 was regarded as a hero by most in Arab streets, Arab leaders did not come to his aid in his war against France, Britain and Israel. The most they did on the international stage was boycott the Melbourne games."..."seven countries had boycotted the Melbourne games: Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, to protest the Soviet invasion of Hungary; and Lebanon, Egypt ..////and Iraq, to protest Israel’s invasion of the Sinai and the Gaza Strip. "// (Tristam, P. (2011). //Arab countries' 1956 olympic boycott over the suez crisis//. Retrieved from http://middleeast.about.com/od/arabisraeliconflict/a/me080803d.htm)

[|Source B] : Under **//"Secret Tripartite Strategy"//** **//Extract(s)://** //"The second Arab-Israeli war, also known as the Suez War, broke out on October 29, 1956 when// Israel, Great Britain and France launched a joint attack against Egypt aimed at instituting a 'regime change' and deposing Gamal Abdel Nasser, the country's charismatic leader."

But this significant war failed to achieve its goals and marked the decline of Britain's colonial powers in the Middle East. It also brought home the realities of Cold War politics.

Tensions first arose when Nasser struck an arms deal with Czechoslovakia – a move that worried Great Britain and the US who viewed it as a shift towards closer ties with the Soviet Union.

//"// //Nasser quickly blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba, barring Israel's access to the Red Sea.//

//While Great Britain saw the conflict as a means to regain lost ground,// Israel sought to invade Egypt for economic and strategic interests.

//Paris on the other hand, had been angered by Nasser's support of the Algerian rebellion against French colonisers.//

//France, Britain and// Israel engineered a secret plan whereby the Jewish State would seize the Canal //. Britain and France would then demand the withdrawal of both Israel and Egypt from the Canal Zone. If Egypt refused, as expected, Britain and France would intervene and force the Egyptians out.//

//On October 29,// Israel initiated the hostilities when it invaded Gaza and the Sinai, then, on October 30, moved to the Suez Canal zone."

Outraged that the US was not informed of the secret attack plan and fearful that the Soviet Union - which had close ties with Egypt - would be drawn into the conflict, Dwight Eisenhower, then US President, sponsored a UN resolution denouncing the attack. It was passed on November 2. While the ultimatum to Israel and Egypt had been ignored as expected, British and French troops were busy trying to take control of the canal zone.

On November 6, 1956, the US threatened to cancel vital loans to its European allies and a few days later hostilities ended.

A ceasefire came into effect and a UN emergency force was stationed in the area; the Suez was returned to Egypt. While Nasser lost the war in military terms, he gained politically. The conflict marked the dramatic end of British and French influence in the region, and left the US poised to become the most influential power in the region.

//(The 1956 suez war//. (2008, February 29). Retrieved from http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/arabunity/2008/02/200852517304630655.html)

[|Source C] //"On 4 November, the Secretary-General requested all four parties concerned to bring to a halt all hostile military action by 2400 hours GMT on the same day. In identical messages addressed to the Governments of France and the United Kingdom, he pointed out that in the light of the replies received from Egypt and Israel, it was obvious that the positions of France and the United Kingdom would determine whether or not it would be possible to achieve a ceasefire between Egypt and Israel. He urged the two Governments to give him a definitive acceptance on his ceasefire call at the earliest possible moment. On 5 November, France and the United Kingdom informed the Secretary-General that as soon as the Governments of Egypt and Israel signified acceptance of, and the United Nations endorsed a plan for, an international Force with the prescribed functions, they would cease all military action. //
 * //Extract://**

//Later in the day, the British representative announced that a ceasefire had been ordered at Port Said. Orders had also been given to cease all bombing forthwith throughout Egypt, and other forms of air action would be limited to the support of any necessary operation in the Canal area. Also on the same day, Egypt accepted the Secretary-General's request for a ceasefire without any attached conditions and Israel informed the Secretary-General that in the light of Egypt's declaration, it confirmed its readiness to agree to a ceasefire." // (//Ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign forces//. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unef1backgr2.html#three)

[|Source D] //**Extract:**// Similarly, Israeli forces have invaded the Sinai Peninsula without declaring war, claiming that this was a purely precautionary and preventive move following repeated threats from Egypt and continued attacks by guerrillas from Egyptian ‘commando’ units. .... As far as we can tell from the news bulletins, the Israelis have mounted two separate but converging offensives on Egyptian territory. Israeli forces, predominantly land forces with some air support, have entered the Sinai Peninsula and are moving west towards the Canal.

First reports of the invasion spoke of rapid successes but a distinction must be made between operations in the central sector, round the Kuntilla-Suez line, and in the northern coastal sector, which is far more important because it is easier to assemble large troop concentrations and deploy armoured divisions there. It appears that the advance on that front has not yet gone much beyond the boundary zone, that is to say the area between Gaza (in Israeli territory) and El Arish (in Egyptian territory). On the other hand, the strike across the Peninsula, largely a diversionary tactic, seems to have made better progress. It is clear, however, that nothing decisive will happen until the main bodies of the two armies meet.

However, a new factor has now come into play, greatly to Egypt’s disadvantage. In order to drive back the invading Israeli forces, Egyptian troops must be deployed on the eastern side of the Canal and have open communication lines across the Canal with the delta and Cairo. They must also be able to use their own airports to launch counter-attacks against the Israeli air force, which is not very large but is daring and well directed. But it is clear that the British and the French, with their threats to land paratroops at key points in the Canal Zone and their raids on the principal Egyptian airports, are inflicting serious and possibly irreparable damage on the entire defensive organisation of Nasser’s forces and may prevent them from mounting any effective resistance. ... According to the ultimatum, the Allies’ objective is to ‘separate’ the two combatants, and the best way to do that is to confine the neutralisation operations exclusively to the Canal Zone. It is clear that the Israelis too have no wish to provoke reprisals because Tel Aviv is no less vulnerable than Cairo, even though the Egyptian air force is substantially weaker since the Allied attacks.

All in all, the operations so far have not taken definite shape but appear to be confined to preliminary manoeuvres. Clearly, the Allied ground attack on Egypt will have to be launched simultaneously from Suez and Port Said, that is to say from the south and the north, while the Israelis continue to press forward crosswise, from east to west. It is difficult to predict how much resistance Egypt can mount; Egyptians are not naturally belligerent but they are being bombarded by Nasser’s inflammatory nationalist, anti-Jewish, propaganda. If the Egyptians do not get any real help from the other Arab States, the military conflict at least may end sooner than might have been expected.

[|Source E] (Cartoon)

__** QUESTIONS: **__


 * 1. a) A****ccording to source B, what were the reasons for Britain, France, and Israel to invade Egypt.**
 * b) What side of the conflict is the cartoonist on in Source E? What evidence, from the portrayal of each side, suggests this? (2 marks)**


 * 2. Compare and contrast the consequences of the Suez crisis outlined in sources A and B**


 * 3. With reference to their origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations of sources C and D in reference to the offensive by Israel, Britain and France.**


 * 4. Using the sources presented and your own knowledge, what role do you believe Israel played during the Suez Crisis?**