Crisis of Suez Canal

The crisis of Suez Canal , so known under the name of war of Suez , countryside of Suez or operation Kadesh , is a Guerre which burst in 1956 in Egyptian territory . The conflict burst between Egypt and a secret alliance, the Protocole of Sevres, formed by the State of Israel, the France and the the United Kingdom, following the unilateral Nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt.

This alliance between two European States and Israel answered shared interests: the European nations had economic interests and commercial in Suez Canal, and Israel needed the opening of the channel to ensure its Maritime transport (this last justified however its military intervention against Egypt as being an answer to the attacks fedayins which it more and more regularly underwent on its territory). Moreover this crisis is regarded as particularly important because it occurs for the period of Cold war. More than the interests of the European countries, it symbolizes also a still disputed union of the Soviet Union and the the United States (two blocks in opposition) and thus constitutes a key moment of this period of conflicts. The union remains disputed because it seems that it would also have could be interpreted like a kind “of exchange of good processes” between the two powers. These are the two States which imposed the stop of the conflict while returning to them the French and British forces.

Origins of the conflict

Suez Canal, which forms a Raccourci between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, is open in 1869. It was financed by France and the Egyptian government. The United Kingdom repurchased then the share of Egypt in the channel. With the independence of the India, the strategic weight of the channel changes: it is not any more the point of capital passage between the United Kingdom and its Empire. On the other hand, the channel becomes a strategic point of passage for the Pétrole.

The origins of this conflict go back to 1952, during the inversion of the monarchy of Farouk I {{er}} by the officers of the Egyptian army. This " révolution" at the same time social and national abolishes the Monarchie in Egypt, initially under the control of the Neguib general, and endeavors to fight against the foreign Impérialisme. Following this inversion, the new government gives up the clauses of co-operation with the European forces and adopts a nationalist and authoritative tendency. This change of position involves a conflict with the Europe in connection with Suez Canal, hitherto with the Franco-British hands of capital.

During 1956, the tension increases between Israel and Egypt with the raids carried out by the Egyptian combatants ( Fedayin ) on the Israeli territory. Egypt, directed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, blocks the Golfe of Aqaba and firm Suez Canal to the Israeli ships. In same time, it nationalizes the channel, a vital shopping street then held with 44 % by the British economy. The company counteracts by the withdrawal of its British and French technicians. They are replaced by others, provided by the non-aligned countries, the India in particular.

British the Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, then tries to convince the public opinion of the need for a war against Egypt. He calls for that upon the patriotism inherited the Second world war by comparing the nationalization of the channel by Nasser with the Nationalisme of Mussolini and Hitler twenty years before. Eden, being opposed to the policy of appeasing of Neville Chamberlain, declares that a show of force is necessary in order to dissuade Nasser to make of Egypt a new military threat and the fact of passing for the “ Mussolini of the Nile ”.

Seen France, the line anticolonialist, anti-impérialiste, third-mondiste, Socialist, nationalist and arabist (panarabe) of Nasser seems a threat. Algerian FLN, in armed struggle against France, has its seat in Cairo and receives from Egypt a material aid and moral important. Guy Mollet, chief of the French government, is acquired with the cause of French Algeria and the support for Israel.

July 26th, 1956, Nasser operates the nationalization of the channel and the setting under sequestrations of the goods of the universal company of Suez Canal, at the time of a speech with Alexandria: Poverty is not a shame, but it is the exploitation of the people which is it. We will take again all our rights, because all these funds are ours, and this channel is the property of Egypt (...) I assign today the agreement of the government on the establishment of the Company of Canal. Moreover, for several years it has been question for Egypt of obtaining a stopping with Assouan, in order to protect the arable lands from raw from the Nile and of producing electricity. However of the funds were requested the Soviet Union and the Western States, but the latter suspended their funds after the reception of weapons coming from the Eastern bloc, by Egypt.

Agreements of Sevres

During month following the nationalization of the channel, a secret agreement is signed between France (Christian Pineau), the United Kingdom (Patrick Dean) and Israel (David Ben Gourion) with Sevres. Their objective is then to reverse Nasser and to recover the channel. The Protocoles of Sevres stipulate:

The Hebrew State will attack Egypt on October 29th, 1956 in the evening and will sink towards Suez Canal. Benefitting from this aggression " surprise" , London and Paris will launch the following day an ultimatum to the two belligerents so that they withdraw canal zone. If Egypt does not yield with the injunctions, the Franco-British troops will enter in action on October 31st.

This agreement, which was to remain secret, establishes the role of each part. The allies agree so that Israel engages militarily against Egypt, leaving the care in France and the United Kingdom to intervene then while requiring of the two belligerents to withdraw their troops of banks of the channel then by carrying out a Franco-British intervention on Port Saïd, known since under the name of “ Opération Musketeer ” (see plane).

Course of the conflict

Preparations

Among the plans worked out by the British, one of them consisted in cutting the flow of water of the the Nile towards Egypt, since the stopping of the Chutes Owen in Uganda, so as to damage the agricultural sector and to cut the communications. The soldiers exposed this plan to the Prime Minister Anthony Eden six weeks before the invasion. It was given up by fear which it does not cause of violent riots among the Egyptian population, that it would have taken of the months to set up and that it would have also put at evil other countries like Kenya and Uganda.

On the level of the allied forces, 155 war buildings whose 5 aircraft carriers are committed: 103 of the Royal Navy, 52 of the National marine, to which are added a hundred requisitioned buildings, including 53 French.

Invasion

The October 29th, Israel invades the Gaza Strip and the the Sinai and quickly reached the canal zone. Like agreed during the agreement of Sevres, the United Kingdom and France propose to occupy the zone and to separate the belligerents. Nasser, whose decision of nationalization of the channel had been accommodated with enthusiasm by the Egyptian population, disallows the proposal and thus gives a pretext to the European forces to be combined in Israel to take again the control of the channel and to reverse the mode in place. The October 31st, France and the United Kingdom start a wave of bombardments on Egypt in order to force the reopening of the channel.

The evening of the November 5th, part of the 2nd regiment of French colonial parachutists supported by commandos of the 11th Shock jumps close to the railway line bordering the channel to the south of Port Saïd, is sent on airport Al-Gamil, takes the control of the zone and draws up a protected point in order to ensure the arrival of the air reinforcements. In the morning of the November 6th, the 40e and 42e battalions of commandos of Royal the English Navy invest the beaches by using the barges of unloading of the Second world war. Their attack is supported by the salvos of the ships of the Royal Navy and the French National marine posted with broad and causing enormous damage with the batteries of Egyptian defenses. The town of Port Saïd is touched by many fires and knows on this occasion of extensive damage.

The 45e commando progresses in the grounds and marks an innovation in the military field by making use of Hélicoptère S at the time of the attacks. However, a part of them is cut down by the Egyptian batteries. In addition, the commando as well as the general headquarters undergo losses due to a friendly shooting of the Royal Air Force. The urban combat carried out at the time of this operation see the braked allied forces by Egyptian embusqués gunners.

The inhabitants Egyptian, equipped with automatic weapons and convinced of the arrival of Russian reinforcements, oppose a resistance to the European forces. However, in front of the speed of the invasion and the air supremacy of the commandos, the Egyptian army is seen forced to capitulate. The commandos take the control of the channel then and move to the south towards Cairo.

Political reactions to the conflict

In France, the Mollet government obtains a quasi unanimous vote of confidence on October 30th, less the abstention from the Communists and Poujadiste S. In Great Britain, on the contrary, the opposition breaks out. The members of the Labor Party, and even part of the conservatives, denounce the anachronistic character of this colonial policy, and rupture with the countries of the the Commonwealth risks it. Eden is hooted with the House of Commons, where the deputies reproach him for putting them in front of the accomplished fact, without to have consulted, like wanted it the habit, the chief of the opposition. The demonstrations Law not war (right and not the war) multiply, most important taking place on November 4th, right before the unloading. Concern grows when the interruption of the traffic of the channel threat the oil provisioning.

Cease-fire and withdrawal of the armies

At the time when the Israeli army seizes the peninsula of the the Sinai and reached Suez Canal, a very firm warning statement of the Soviet Union stops the offensive; Israel must be folded up on its borders of 1949. The USSR bluffe then by threatening France, England and Israel of a nuclear response. NATO reminds the USSR that it will counteract in this case. The the United States, passive up to that point, require the withdrawal of the Western forces to defuse the crisis, make assemble the pressure against the British government while launching a attacks monetary against the Pound sterling and send their naval forces and air to interfere in the Anglo-French device.

The General meeting of the United Nations, joined together in extraordinary session urgently from November 2nd to 10th 1956, adopts resolutions envisaging the intervention of the FUNU (emergency Force of the United Nations) of which the goal is to replace the Franco-British forces starting from November 15th, 1956 in order to restore peace; it was the first multilateral operation of the United Nations, qualified " first génération". Consequently, " Blue helmets " had been born. The Canadian Minister for the Businesses external of the time, To ballast B. Pearson, received besides the Nobel Prize of peace in 1957 for the part which he played in the appeasing of the Crisis of Suez like for his initiative deploying a neutral U.N. force between the warring factions.

Consequences

After the war, the Jewish community of Egypt (that is to say approximately 75000 people) present for more than 2000 years has had to leave this country. Indeed, on November 23rd, 1956, a proclamation of the ministry for the religious affairs read in all the mosques affirms: “All the Jews are Zionists and enemies of the State” and promises their nearest expulsion. Thousands of Jews are seen forced to leave the country with only one bag after having made gift of their goods to the Egyptian government. These Jews will take refuge in Israel (35000) or France (10000) because a great part are French-speaking or in Brazil (15000) or the United States (9000) or in Argentina (9000).

The most durable consequence is the alignment of Great Britain on the American foreign politics. Following the exerted pressures, in particular the devalorization of the pound sterling, any isolated attempt from now on is dedicated to the failure.

France lost the hope, to tell the truth fragile, of fine a rapid of the Algerian conflict. On the contrary, Arab nationalism leaves reinforced. The French, victorious soldiers on the ground, have the impression to be themselves made steal their victory by an impotent civil capacity. This frustration will contribute to the orientations of the army at the time of the putsches of the May 13rd, 1958 and 1961.

The proof is made that the countries of Europe are not any more the dominant powers in this area. The United States and the USSR made a point of showing that the colonial era was finished and that no policy in the Middle East could be done without them.

The USSR gains in prestige with the the Middle East and tightens much its alliance with Egypt. For the Soviets, the crisis of Suez also made diversion with the events of Hungary where the Russian tanks crush the Insurrection of Budapest on November 4th.

The Egyptian mode, in spite of the military defeat, arises triumphing over this crisis. The humiliation of France and the triumph of Egypt reinforce FLN in the Algerian conflict. The Sudan, condominium anglo-Egyptian, reaches independence. In 1958, the Iraq hachémite and vassal of the Occident, by a revolution, passes to the pro-nassériens (friends of the USSR). The Lebanon, in 1958, is shaken by a mini civil war between the Christians turned towards the Occident and the Moslems turned towards the Arab world.

Israel consolidates itself like military power, the operation destroyed part of the Egyptian military potential and France strengthened its military cooperation with the Hebrew State with inter alia the delivery of the first jets of Israeli aviation, (Mystère II, Mystère IV, Vautour, of light tanks AMX-13 and a nuclear cooperation - gift of a detonator, in accordance with the protocol of Sevres.

Withdrawal of the British - continuation to the American pressures without informing their allies of them, as well as the American veto are at the origin of a major strategic change for France. Following this crisis, De Gaulle will proceed to the nuclear armament of the French Republic, the Deterrent force, not only against the USSR, but against all potential threats, including the United States.

See too

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