The Suez Canal Crisis is known as the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel. In late 1956, there was an invasion of Egypt by Israel, later followed by the United Kingdom and France.

The Isthmus of Suez, located in Egypt on the African continent, is a manufactured sea-level canal that connects Asia and Africa from north to south.

Presently, the Suez Canal is under the control of Egypt.

1. Significance Of The Suez Canal

• The importance of the Suez Canal is majorly due to its location. It is the only place that connects the sea of ​​Europe (Mediterranean Sea) with the Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean) and the countries of Asia to the Pacific. If there were no Suez Canal, ships would have to travel across the African continent to reach the Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean) and the countries of the Asia-Pacific. It will increase the cost of transportation as well as increase the travel time.
• About 30 per cent of the world’s shipping containers pass through the Suez Canal, and 12 per cent of the world’s goods trade through the Suez Canal.
• Through the Suez Canal route to Western European countries and countries of North America, mineral oil from Persian Gulf countries, asbestos, iron ore, manganese, tea, coffee, jute, rubber, cotton, wool from India and Spices, sugar, leather, skins, teak wood, cotton clothes, handicrafts, etc. from other Asian countries are sent.
• Chemical materials, steel, machines, drugs, motor vehicles, scientific instruments, etc., are imported from Western European countries and North America to the Persian Gulf countries.

2. The Origin of the Suez Canal

The creation of the “Suez Canal” delighted Egypt’s kings and colonisers since it would connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, today known as the Erythraean Sea.

2.1. Pharaoh’s Purpose

The first canal connecting the Red Sea in the south with the Nile River in the north was constructed by Pharaoh Senusret III, creating a fresh channel to the Mediterranean Sea. Necho II, the second pharaoh, began building a new canal from the Nile to the south, but he passed away in early 595 BC before finishing it.

2.2. Persian Empire’s Role

The Suez Canal’s construction was completed by the Persian emperor Darius I. Leaders disregarded the Suez Canal for many decades, especially as silt made navigation impossible.

3. Suez Canal Company

The construction plan of the Suez Canal was started by the French diplomat De Lesseps in 1854. In 1858, a company was established to build the Suez Canal, named the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company.

This Canal was built between 1859 and 1869. The construction of this canal was completed in 1869. The canal was officially opened for international traffic on 17 November 1869.

Britain annexed Egypt in 1882. However, according to an international treaty, the Suez Canal was opened to ships from all countries equally without any restrictions in war and peace. So, ultimately, declining the control of any individual country. It was also clear to everyone that no preferential treatment would be given to any country based on its share in the company.

4. Transfer of Powers to the Egyptian Government

Egypt gained independence in 1936, but the rights to the Suez Canal remained with Britain. Later, an agreement was reached between the Suez Canal Company and the Egyptian government, giving ownership to Egypt.

After World War II, Egypt began demanding independence from British troops in the Suez Canal area, and in July 1956, Egyptian President Jamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal.

4.1. Napoleon’s Role

Up until the emergence of Napoleon Bonaparte, Egyptian kings had abandoned the Suez Canal for decades. Napoleon attacked Egypt in 1798. He attacked Egypt to undermine the British Empire and take control of the entire planet.

Napoleon desired to control the construction of a canal across Suez. He wanted to construct this canal because he believed it would deal the Brits a double blow. Two shocks struck the British:

• One benefit of this canal for the French would be a quicker connection to the Indian Ocean.
• The second is that by creating a new commercial route from Europe to Asia, France would harm the British, who control the current route that circles the Cape of Good Hope and leads to Asia.

Napoleon, however, was forced to give up on his projected canal project due to several errors in the geological analysis of this area. Napoleon abandoned this project, yet the Suez Canal he envisioned survived the emperor.

4.2. Role of the Ottoman Empire

Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat and engineer, obtained Pasha’s approval to begin canal construction.

To carry out the canal idea, the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was established in 1858, and construction work on the canal started a year later. Because a new waterway may have affected its interests, Britain, which had exclusive use of the route around the African continent, stayed against this idea.

The canal was formally opened to ship traffic in 1869.

5. The Suez Canal Crisis

5.1. Impact of the First Arab-Israel War Suez Canal Crisis

When World War I ended, the mandate of Palestine came under the control of Britain, and Britain announced its favour for the creation of a separate state for Jews, which the Arabs resented. During World War II, the Nazi persecution resulted in a high influx of Jews into Palestine; with time, half of the population of Palestine became Jewish, and this resulted in demand for a separate state for Jews.

The US pressured Britain to allow the entry of Jews into Palestine from Europe. Under this pressure, Britain proposed two-state solutions, though Arabs rejected it.

Just after its creation, Israel was attacked by the Arab world (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon) and hence began the First Arab-Israel War in 1948.

After the war of 1948, Gamal Abdel Nasser became President of Egypt in 1954 as he de-throne King Farrukh. Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956 as he wanted to reduce the influence of the British in this region.

5.2. Nationalisation of Canal

The Suez Canal was nationalised on 26 July 1956 by the President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser. Therefore, in the year 1956, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt to protect their commercial/trade interests dependent on the Suez Canal. This war is known as the Suez Canal Crisis.

In 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal and ordered the evacuation of Egypt from the British and French forces. Most of the share capital in the Suez Canal Company belonged to the British and French governments. Naseer’s move caused a stir in both countries. power

Therefore, Israel and later Britain and France attacked Egypt to protect their commercial/trade interests dependent on the Suez Canal. This attack aimed to re-establish control of the West and remove Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser from his dominion.

After the war broke out, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the League of Nations intervened politically, and the invading countries Israel, Britain, and France were forced to retreat. The United Nations favoured sending a peacekeeping force to Egypt to establish peace there, and the Suez Canal was opened to the movement of ships from all countries in 1957.

5.3. How the Nationalization of Canal Caused The Suez Canal Crisis

The Suez Canal Crisis was primarily brought on by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian president, nationalising the canal. The governments of France and Great Britain held jurisdiction over the canal.

The Suez Canal was nationalised by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser primarily for financial reasons. He focused on finding more finances to complete the Aswan High Dam even though the funds for its construction were insufficient.

The president of Egypt further took over the Suez Canal Corporation, igniting the Suez Canal Crisis. Additionally, he declared that the construction of the Aswan High Dam would be paid for in five years by the tolls received by ships using the canal.

France and the Brits feared Naseer would block oil supplies from the Persian Gulf by closing the canal.

The decision to nationalise the canal enraged the French and the British and exacerbated the Suez Canal crisis. The British and French plotted with the Zionists to retake possession of the canal from the Egyptians rather than Nasser giving proper compensation to the canal’s original proprietors.

In addition to the economic benefit, the nations also needed to make amends with Egypt and, more notably, Nasser.

France was outraged at Egypt for assisting Algerian insurgents fighting the French. Britain was furious because Nasser’s pan-Arab program was costing it influence. Periodically, Israel and the Egyptian army engaged in border combat.

5.4. Approval of Egypt’s Control Over The Suez Canal

A further indication of Great Britain’s growing sway in West Asia was the Suez Canal crisis. Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of the US as the new power, Great Britain has controlled it.

Throughout the conflict in 1967, the canal was once more shut down. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, as Egyptian-Israeli ties began to improve, it was reopened once more in 1975.

6. The Outbreak Of The Suez Canal Crisis

On October 29, 1956, the British and French troops joined the Israeli army in an offensive. The French and British soldiers had initially intended to launch an immediate attack, but transportation problems had delayed their plan.

Yet, the attack on Port Said and Port Fuad, which were captured by British and French forces while Israel controlled the Sinai Peninsula, was successful. The Egyptian forces’ total authority over the canal area was lost as a result of the coordinated onslaught.

They appeared to be losing the battle over the canal, but Nasser galvanised his nation’s soldiers and persisted.

Although the attack was delayed, the Soviet Union, one of Egypt’s allies, had time to counterattack. To exert influence in the Middle East, the Soviet Union (USSR) provided weapons and ammunition to the Egyptian military.

To resolve the Suez Canal crisis, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev called a meeting of the Security Council of the United Nations. If the Israeli, French, and British soldiers did not leave on time, he even promised to launch nuclear missiles toward Western Europe.

The Soviet Union received a stern reprimand from President Dwight Eisenhower for their imprudent talk of nuclear war. He also threatened to impose financial penalties on the Israelis, British and French if they did not withdraw their troops from the Canal.

It must be said that Dwight Eisenhower’s strategy was successful, as the British and French evacuated their troops from the canal by December 1956. Israeli forces occupied the side of the canal facing the Sinai Peninsula until March 1957.

It is noteworthy that the Suez Canal Crisis saw the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force for the first time. An armed group known as the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) has been sent to the region to oversee the cessation of hostilities and guarantee the withdrawal of the three soldiers.

7. Casualties of The Suez Canal Crisis

If we talk about the casualties that took place in the Suez Canal crisis, then it is worth noting that there was a massive loss of army men in this war of the Suez crisis. While the British casualties stood at 16 dead and 96 people were wounded, the French casualties stood at 10 killed and 33 wounded.

Regarding Israeli losses, there were 172 fatalities and 817 injuries. Yet, it was never conclusively determined how many Egyptians were killed.

Egypt suffered 1,000–3,000 killed and 4,000 wounded as a result of the Israeli invasion, compared to 650 dead and 900 wounded as a result of the Anglo–French campaign. Also, it was estimated that the Suez Canal crisis caused the deaths of 1,000 Egyptian citizens.

8. The Closing of the Suez Canal

For the first time on 26 July 1956, this canal was closed due to the controversy arising after the canal’s nationalisation was announced. Britain and France were furious at this nationalisation announcement and, hence, attacked Egypt. Later, a settlement was reached, and the waterway was reopened again.

In June 1967, Israel’s war with Egypt, Syria, and Jordan started. This war lasted for six days. During this war, 15 ships got stuck in the Suez Canal route. The canal was closed for the second time in June 1967.

One of these ships sank, and the remaining 14 were stuck in the Suez Canal route for the next eight years. Due to this, the trade through this canal was closed for eight years. Traffic in the Suez Canal was resumed on 5 June 1975.

9. The Aftermath Of The Suez Canal Crisis

The Suez Canal crisis and its repercussions marked the demise of Britain and France as superpowers in this globe. When the United States and the Soviet Union began to play a more significant role, their influence began to decline.

By merely threatening Britain with economic sanctions on one of its old colonies, Britain agreed to evacuate its forces.

Two months after the British soldiers left the Suez Canal region, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden announced his resignation.

For the following few decades, there would be tension in French-American relations. They would have even more difficulty preserving their colonies in Asia and Africa as a result.

10. Recent Issues In Suez Canal

As a cargo ship became stranded in the Suez Canal, the Suez Canal situation was once again brought to light. Due to poor weather preventing passage in the Suez Canal on March 25, 2021, a large cargo ship named “Ever Given” stopped close to the canal’s southern end.

On March 29, 2021, a week after it became stuck in one of the world’s most vital waterways and prevented other ships from passing, this container ship was released from the Suez Canal. The event of Egypt’s Suez Canal being blocked by a colossal container ship is of notable significance.  

It is considered that the ending of the Suez Canal Crisis led to over-hasty decolonisation in Africa, which further increased the chance of civil wars and military dictatorships in newly independent countries.

Also Read: Most Rare World War 2 Facts From History

The Last Lesson

The Suez Canal has made the distance between Europe and the countries of the Far East very short. It has facilitated trade with many countries, like East Africa, Iran, Arabia, India, Pakistan, nations of Far East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, etc., which ultimately has increased trade among these countries.

Its presence in terms of commerce and communication can be seen worldwide.

Last Updated on March 5, 2024 by Joshita