Map – Suez Crisis (1956 – 1957)

TIME PERIOD: 1956 – 1957

“In October [29-30, 1956] Israeli forces invaded Egypt and moved towards the Suez Canal. In accordance with their previous agreement, Britain and France sent an ultimatum to both Israel and Egypt to withdraw from the Canal Zone, and [Egyptian President] Abdel Naser’s refusal gave a pretext for British and French forces to attack and occupy part of the zone… Under American and Soviet pressure, and faced with worldwide hostility and the danger of financial collapse, the three forces [Britain, France and Israel] withdrew.”

Albert Hourani A History of the Arab Peoples, p. 367-368, Warner Books Edition, 1991

“Britain and France completed their withdrawal by 23 December… Though Israel agreed to withdraw on 8 November it did not actually do so until 8 March 1957 — and then only after the United States committed itself to standing by Israel’s right of passage through the Gulf of Aqaba, ensuring that Gaza was not used again for launching guerrilla attacks against it.”

Dilip Hiro, The Essential Middle East, p. 498, Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003

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