1956 War - Chelsea, Nisa, Braxton and Jermaine O'Strege (Joe Strege)
Introduction:
Conflicts between the Arabs and Israelis had erupted many times. This conflict had erupted between Israel and Egypt and its mainly because Egypt would not open the Suez Canal and they blocked the Straits of Tiran. This is the main reason for involvement by Great Britain and France because they think if Israel wins the war then they will have control of the canal. At that time the Straits of Tiran was the only pathway to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. By cutting off trade paths, they angered Israel. Egypt also violated the Israeli-Egyptian Armistice. All of these events built up tension and it finally erupted into war. While Israel had their allies (Britain and France,) Egypt had allies in Jordan as well as Syria where they would control those countries armies. They also were being funded by the Soviet Union. This sets the stage for a big conflict between the two countries.
The Conflict:
The 1956 War was not something that happened over night or the result of one event. The hatred between Israelis and Arabs had been building up and even after multiple wars, they have still not reached an adequate peace. The 1956 War was the second outburst between these two groups. This war was fought because Nasser had closed the Suez Canal to all ships, causing them to have to go all the way around the southern coast of Africa. This was a big blow to the economies of France and England because it made trading with the eastern side of the world much more expensive, long, and dangerous. In order to try to get the canal opened again, the British and the French sought out the help of the Israelis in order to start a 3-pronged attack against Egypt. Egypt was in control of the armies of Jordan and Syria, while Israel was backed up by Great Britain and France. Each countries had their alternate motives, but those of Great Britain and France were strictly economical. After the war was over the death totals for Egypt and its forces were 1,650 killed, 4,900 wounded and 6,185 were taken prisoner. The totals for the Israelis and company are 215 dead, 1,028 wounded, and 4 were taken prisoner. The arab forces eventually gave into the Israeli forces. They reopened the Straits of Tiran, but they did not open the Suez Canal for open trade. Egypt: (Arab Side)
Key Events -
26 July 1956 - Nasser announces nationalization of Suez Canal.
29 October 1956 - Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula.
31 October 1956 - Great Britain and France begin military action to gain control of the Suez Canal.
29 November 1956 - Tripartite Invasion is officially ended because of UN pressures.
22 December 1956 - Evacuation of British soldiers from Suez Canal.
Key Figure - (Gamal Abdel Nasser)
Gamal Abdel Nasser (president of Egypt) Arab Perspective -
Egypt was led by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Nationalized the Suez Canal after US pulled their funding towards the building of the Aswan Dam.
The Egyptians decided to make people pay to enter the canal in order to fund the building of the Aswan Dam.
Egypt also closed down the Straits of Tiran.
This infuriated Israel because they could no longer access the Red Sea and The Indian Ocean from Israel.
The Egyptians found out about the attack from Israel, so they gained control of the armies from Jordan and Syria in order to have enough troops to hold off the Israelis.
The Egyptians fought hard, but eventually fell to the Tripartite attack of the Israelis, the British, and the French and the Egyptians lost control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, and the Suez Canal.
However, the UN and the Soviets became very mad at the Israelis, the French, and the British for invading Egypt, and they were forced to pull out and surrender the captured territories.
Essentially, the Egyptians and Nasser had won the war even though they failed miserably in the war's military conflicts.
This war made Nasser even more powerful than before because weaker Arab countries looked to him for leadership.
The plan that the Israelis, French, and British had to make Nasser less powerful essentially backfired on them.
This was a success for the Arabs.
Israel: (Israeli Side)
Key Events -
29 October 1956 - Operation Kadesch and Operation Musketeer began
Operation Kadesch was an attack initiated by the Israeli army into the Sinai desert in order to move closer to the Suez Canal. During the same period of time, the French and British attacked Egyptian targets and Port said and Port Fuad.
November 1956 - Israeli forces begin to withdraw from Sinai Peninsula
15 January 1957 - complete Israeli withdrawl
1957 - Israel is guaranteed access to the Straits of Tiran
1956-1957 - Britain, France, and Israel occupy the Gaza Strip
As the three countries worked together to occupy the Gaza Strip, they increased the pressure put on the relationship between the opposing side, Egypt and America.
Key Figures - Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, & David Ben-Gurion
Moshe Dayan (commander for Israel):
A popular Israeli general and statesmen, Moshe Dayan was known for his trademark black eyepatch which he began wearing after being shot by a bullet in the eye. To many Israelis it symbolized his involvement in Haganah, an underground militia, which he joined as a teenager. After a brief imprisonment in 1939, he returned as a commander for Israel. He also became commander of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in which he directed the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula in 1956. He later cooperated with the prime minister David Ben-Gurion in order to reverse the nationalization of the Suez Canal, in which he was successful.
Golda Meir - (Foreign Minister of Israel)
Influenced by her past with various Zionists groups, Meir spent her earlier life promoting Jewish settlements in Palestine. After marrying a Lithuanian imigrant, Morris Meyerson, she was elected to the World Zionist Congress in 1930. In attempt to end British rule in Palestine, Meir worked with the prime minister David Ben-Gurion in order to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. Her main contribution to the 1956 War, however, was promoting the military in Israel to update their weaponry in order to compete with the more modern arms of Egypt and Syria. This move was very important in helping the Israelis during the Suez Canal crisis that occured during the war.
David Ben-Gurion (Prime Minister of Israel)
Prime minister David Ben-Gurion is best known for having worked with Golda Meir, who was also a Zionist like himself, to bring about Israel's Declaration of Independence. After he was elected prime minister, he focused on building up the country economically, educationally, and militarily in case of attacks by Arabs. When Egypt announced that it was nationalizing the Suez Canal he went to France where he agreed to join with them and Britain against Egypt. Later, after having captured the Sinai Peninsula, he returned it to Egypt after reaching an agreement with the UN which provided them with forces along the Egyptian-Israeli border.
Israeli Perspective -
Israel joined the war for various political and military reasons
Angered at Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal
One being their fear of Nasser uniting the Arabs in the region
They were supported by Britain and France in their efforts to get rid of Nasser
Much of the fighting took place at the Sinai Peninsula
When the Israeli forces invaded it gave the British and the French an excuse to join the fighting
The Israeli forces eventually withdrew, but not before gaining access to the Straits of Tiran
Final Analysis w/Key Questions
The war had effected Egypt more than any other country. They had the highest amount of deaths, injuries and prisoners captured during the war and they had to give up freedoms. Specifically, after the war the British and France stationed soldiers in Egypt to monitor the status of the Suez Canal and all of its waterways. Eventually, the soldiers were removed from Egypt by order of U.N. This outcome had forced Egypt to re-open the Straits of Tiran and other parts of the canal to other countries. This further supported Nasser as the leader of the Arab world. It also had a significant impact on the Israeli people as well.
1. What did Egypt do to anger Israel? (3 things)
2. Why was David Ben-Gurion important during the 1956 War?
3. What happened to Egypt after the war?
1956 War - Chelsea, Nisa, Braxton and Jermaine O'Strege (Joe Strege)
Introduction:
Conflicts between the Arabs and Israelis had erupted many times. This conflict had erupted between Israel and Egypt and its mainly because Egypt would not open the Suez Canal and they blocked the Straits of Tiran. This is the main reason for involvement by Great Britain and France because they think if Israel wins the war then they will have control of the canal. At that time the Straits of Tiran was the only pathway to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. By cutting off trade paths, they angered Israel. Egypt also violated the Israeli-Egyptian Armistice. All of these events built up tension and it finally erupted into war. While Israel had their allies (Britain and France,) Egypt had allies in Jordan as well as Syria where they would control those countries armies. They also were being funded by the Soviet Union. This sets the stage for a big conflict between the two countries.
The Conflict:
The 1956 War was not something that happened over night or the result of one event. The hatred between Israelis and Arabs had been building up and even after multiple wars, they have still not reached an adequate peace. The 1956 War was the second outburst between these two groups. This war was fought because Nasser had closed the Suez Canal to all ships, causing them to have to go all the way around the southern coast of Africa. This was a big blow to the economies of France and England because it made trading with the eastern side of the world much more expensive, long, and dangerous. In order to try to get the canal opened again, the British and the French sought out the help of the Israelis in order to start a 3-pronged attack against Egypt. Egypt was in control of the armies of Jordan and Syria, while Israel was backed up by Great Britain and France. Each countries had their alternate motives, but those of Great Britain and France were strictly economical. After the war was over the death totals for Egypt and its forces were 1,650 killed, 4,900 wounded and 6,185 were taken prisoner. The totals for the Israelis and company are 215 dead, 1,028 wounded, and 4 were taken prisoner. The arab forces eventually gave into the Israeli forces. They reopened the Straits of Tiran, but they did not open the Suez Canal for open trade.
Egypt: (Arab Side)
Key Events -
Key Figure - (Gamal Abdel Nasser)
Gamal Abdel Nasser (president of Egypt)
Arab Perspective -
Israel: (Israeli Side)
Key Events -
Key Figures - Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, & David Ben-Gurion
Moshe Dayan (commander for Israel):
A popular Israeli general and statesmen, Moshe Dayan was known for his trademark black eyepatch which he began wearing after being shot by a bullet in the eye. To many Israelis it symbolized his involvement in Haganah, an underground militia, which he joined as a teenager. After a brief imprisonment in 1939, he returned as a commander for Israel. He also became commander of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in which he directed the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula in 1956. He later cooperated with the prime minister David Ben-Gurion in order to reverse the nationalization of the Suez Canal, in which he was successful.
Golda Meir - (Foreign Minister of Israel)
Influenced by her past with various Zionists groups, Meir spent her earlier life promoting Jewish settlements in Palestine. After marrying a Lithuanian imigrant, Morris Meyerson, she was elected to the World Zionist Congress in 1930. In attempt to end British rule in Palestine, Meir worked with the prime minister David Ben-Gurion in order to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. Her main contribution to the 1956 War, however, was promoting the military in Israel to update their weaponry in order to compete with the more modern arms of Egypt and Syria. This move was very important in helping the Israelis during the Suez Canal crisis that occured during the war.
David Ben-Gurion (Prime Minister of Israel)
Prime minister David Ben-Gurion is best known for having worked with Golda Meir, who was also a Zionist like himself, to bring about Israel's Declaration of Independence. After he was elected prime minister, he focused on building up the country economically, educationally, and militarily in case of attacks by Arabs. When Egypt announced that it was nationalizing the Suez Canal he went to France where he agreed to join with them and Britain against Egypt. Later, after having captured the Sinai Peninsula, he returned it to Egypt after reaching an agreement with the UN which provided them with forces along the Egyptian-Israeli border.
Israeli Perspective -
Final Analysis w/Key Questions
The war had effected Egypt more than any other country. They had the highest amount of deaths, injuries and prisoners captured during the war and they had to give up freedoms. Specifically, after the war the British and France stationed soldiers in Egypt to monitor the status of the Suez Canal and all of its waterways. Eventually, the soldiers were removed from Egypt by order of U.N. This outcome had forced Egypt to re-open the Straits of Tiran and other parts of the canal to other countries. This further supported Nasser as the leader of the Arab world. It also had a significant impact on the Israeli people as well.
1. What did Egypt do to anger Israel? (3 things)
2. Why was David Ben-Gurion important during the 1956 War?
3. What happened to Egypt after the war?
Works Cited