Suez Crisis (Second Arab-Israeli War)

• Suez Canal

  • Built 1869 by Egyptian labour
  • Anglo-French own
  • Essential link for Brit to military bases, oil and trade
  • >2/3s Western Europe’s fuel supply passed through, Brit oil reserves only last 6 weeks
  • Brit had 70,000 troops in Canal zone
  • Egypt felt this intolerable
  • Brit imperialism
  • Blamed their gov, esp King Farouk
  • Many Egypt army officers also blamed gov for '49 defeat to Israel
  • Supplying poor equipment
  • Incompetent commanders
• Eygptian Revolution

  • ‘52
  • ‘Free Officers’: Young officers from poor backgrounds with education
  • Planned to overthrow government
  • Took key government building, told success by radio, King fled
  • ‘53
  • General Naguib (respected senior officer) became President
  • Most powerful member was Nasser
  • He wanted Egypt truly independent of Brit troops
  • ‘54
  • Nasser became President
  • Persuaded Brit to withdraw, wanted Egypt ally against Soviets
  • He didn’t want to join Cold War
  • Israel wanted to topple him, he encouraged Palestinian raids
• Nasser

  • ‘55
  • Feb:
  • Israel attack Gaza
  • Kill 35 Egypt troops
  • Reprisal demands from Palestinian A and E
  • Nasser began to train Palestinian A guerrillas
  • Sep:
  • Arms deal with Czechoslovakia
  • West still thought in control (financing Aswan Dam)
  • ‘56
  • Anger West
  • Recognise Communist China
  • Brit and US withdrew Aswan Dam loans, force Nasser down
  • So he nationalised Suez (Jul)
  • Used profits to build Dam
  • Said West could “choke on their rage”
  • Brit and France withdrew canal pilots, but it remained open
  • Nasser hero of A world
  • Motivate:
  • Anti-West
  • Want A leadership + E power
  • Israeli threat
• International Context

  • Cold War (tension grows), oil issue, Israeli dependence on US support, and US hatred of European colonialism
  • France:
  • ‘Hitler on Nile’
  • Anti-appeasement or working with aggression
  • Angry Egypt, supported Algerian independence (french colony)
  • Israel:
  • Angry at Egypt for border raids
  • Blockage of Tiran Straits (integral to Israeli trading)
  • Not recognising Israel
  • Brit:
  • PM Eden determined not to let Nasser “have his thumb on our windpipe”
  • Decided to intervene