THE PLOT

The events of 1956 are known in Israel as the Sinai Campaign; “campaign” as in “war”. The rest of the world knows it as the Suez Crisis. Both terms refer to roughly the same thing: a short but important armed conflict in the Sinai Peninsula between Egypt on one side and Israel, Britain, and France on the other.

President Nasser hatched a plan to take over the Suez Canal from the British, charge everyone money to sail through it, and use the funds to build a dam on the Nile River. At the same time he sided with the Soviet Union over the United States; the communists promised him the latest high-tech weaponry.

Britain couldn’t stomach Nasser seizing the Suez Canal. Israel worried that in addition to his continuing support for fedayeen terrorism, he would block Israeli shipping and turn his new weapons against Israel. Israel knew a war was inevitable and that it would be better to fight now, before Egypt got the weapons, then later. But Israel couldn’t fight alone while Egypt was backed by the United States and other Western countries. It needed a plan to provoke open conflict, and allies to go all in.

In July ,1956, Nasser seized the Canal and nationalized it. Israel, Britain, and France hatched a plan (kept secret from the United States). In short, Israel would attack Egypt; Britain and France would demand a ceasefire they knew Egypt would reject, which would give them the pretense to send their own militaries to the Canal zone. In the end, Britain and France would take back the Suez Canal and Israel would take Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, thus ending Egypt’s blockade and preventing terrorists from using the territory. 

On October 29, 1956, Israeli paratroopers seized Mitla Pass deep in the Sinai Peninsula. A bloody battle ensued. The allies’ secret plan was initiated and worked as intended. The United Nations, United States, and the Soviet Union all demanded that Israel, Britain, and France ceasefire, but the three of them weren’t interested.

In the end, Israel seized the entire Sinai Peninsula, including the Gaza Strip. Israel tripled the size of its country in about 4 days. It broke the Egyptian blockade of Eilat and wrecked all the military bases used by the fedayeen terrorists. In March, 1957, Israel returned the entire Sinai to the Egyptians. 

To stop the conflict and provide Israel with security guarantees, the United Nations Emergency Force was created to send everyone back to the corners, keep the Israelis and Egyptians away from each other, and monitor the Peninsula to make sure Egypt didn’t start moving military forces there.

THE PEOPLE

Moshe Dayan: Chief of Staff of the IDF, in overall command of the Sinai Campaign.

Gamal Abdel Nasser: President of Egypt, who is trying to be the big man of the Middle East by pushing a brand of anti-colonialism and pro-Arab nationalism. Two major components of that brand are attacking Israel, and pushing the British imperialists out of the Canal.

Ariel Sharon: Israeli commander in the Mitla Pass, who initiated a bold a perilous operation against the Egyptians.

Dan Ziv: 20-year old Israeli paratrooper who fought in Sinai during the Suez Crisis. For his heroism in rescuing wounded soldiers in the heat of combat he was awarded Israel’s highest military honor, the Medal of Valor.

THE BIG IDEAS

The biggest players in the Arab-Israeli conflict are often NOT the Arabs and the Israelis. This conflict is very often about an even bigger picture with even bigger players. For example, the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, and the perennial competition over which Middle Eastern country is going to side with which superpower, for control over resources (like oil) and influence.

The Suez Crisis was a confluence of three levels of conflict. On the local level, Egypt and Israel were in a  state of conflict over Egypt’s support for terrorism against Israel, and Israel’s subsequent retaliation. On the regional level was the struggle between Egypt and Britain for control of the Suez Canal, which was in Egyptian territory but controlled by the British military. And on the international level was the Cold War, in which the Soviet Union and the United States competed for influence with Egypt as the gateway to the Middle East.

The Suez Crisis produced winners and losers. The losers included Britain, France, and the West more generally. Britain’s government collapsed and its Empire seemed to have finally waned; France and the West looked bad in the Arab world. Winners included the Soviet Union (which increased its influence amongst the Arabs), Egypt (which lost the war but kept the Canal and Nasser looked liked a hero), and Israel (which looked bad politically but pushed Egypt back and all but stopped terrorism from Gaza and the Sinai).

FUN FACTS

Mitla Pass was just a narrow roadway bisecting two mountain ranges, the only navigable route across the center of the Sinai Peninsula. 

Nasser sank 40 ships in the narrow Suez Canal, blocking it for several months.

The Sinai Campaign lasted 100 hours.

© Jason Harris 2020