Nasser's nationalisation of the Suez Canal led Britain, France and Israel to attack Egypt. The superpowers forced them out, and the UN sent its first peacekeeping force.
Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's leader from 1954, championed Arab nationalism and wanted to end Western influence. In 1955 he bought Soviet-bloc arms through Czechoslovakia, which alarmed Israel and the West.
Israel faced raids by Palestinian fighters (fedayeen) from Egyptian-controlled Gaza. Egypt also blocked Israeli shipping through the Straits of Tiran.
In July 1956, after the USA and Britain withdrew funding for the Aswan Dam, Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal. Britain and France depended on the canal for oil. They secretly planned with Israel to topple him.
Israel invaded Sinai on 29 October 1956, and Britain and France landed troops near the canal. The USA, angry at not being consulted, put financial pressure on Britain. The USSR threatened the invaders.
The UN General Assembly created the UN Emergency Force (UNEF), the first armed peacekeeping force. Britain and France withdrew by December 1956 and Israel by March 1957. UNEF then patrolled the Egypt-Israel border and kept the Straits of Tiran open.
- Czech arms deal
- 1955: Soviet-bloc arms to Egypt.
- Canal nationalised
- July 1956.
- UNEF
- In Sinai from 1956 to 1967.
Worked example: Linking causes in 1956
Why did war break out in 1956?
- Economic interests: control of the canal and oil routes.
- Nationalism: Nasser's challenge to Western influence.
- Security: fedayeen raids and the Tiran blockade.
- Cold War: Soviet-bloc arms to Egypt.
Watch out for this
The superpowers backed Britain and France in 1956.
Both superpowers opposed the invasion. US financial pressure did most to force Britain to withdraw.
Check your understanding
What was UNEF?
- The first armed UN peacekeeping force, sent to Sinai in 1956
- A British and French army
- An Arab military alliance