1. Suez Conflict 1956

2. SUEZ CANAL: Key Players
MOSHE DAYAN, ISRAELI MILITARY LEADER
The Defense Minister and later Foreign Minister of Israel. Joined Haganah at age 14! He commanded the Israeli forces in Sinai during the Suez Crisis
DWIGHT EISENHOWER, US PRESIDENT
34th President of the USA. Ben-Gurion found it difficult to count on the political leverage they had in the Truman administration. Eisenhower considered himself immune to Jewish lobbying.
Forced an end to the invasion of Egypt in response to Suez Canal after which the United States adopted the “Eisenhower doctrine.”
GUY MOLLET, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER
A French Socialist Politian, he was the Prime Minister in Due to fear of Egyptian nationalism and oil being cut off to Europe the French joined with Israel to secretly attack Egypt in the northern Suez Canal area.

3. SUEZ CANAL: Key Players continued
ANTHONY EDEN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
British conservative Prime Minister in Also feared Nasser was planning on cutting off oil to Europe and wanted him completely removed from Egyptian office. Viewed Nasser as an aggressive nationalist.
GAMAL ABDEL NASSER
Second Egyptian president, led the Egyptian revolution of He nationalized the Suez Canal. He closed the Straits of Tiran and blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba from Israeli usage, a violation of 1949 Armistice Agreements. He underestimated the consequences that it would cause.
NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union from 1958 to Provided Nasser with arms.

4. Egyptian Points of Contention
The Americans had recently pulled funding for construction of a dam on the Nile at Aswan.
This lead Nasser to announce the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company.
This was done as a means to finance the project and to regain the country’s pride.

5. Egyptian Points of Contention Continued
Nasser was careful to not do anything to provoke other nations.
Shareholders were compensated and shipping went uninterrupted

6. Israeli Points of Contention
Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran
Egypt also made an arms deal with Czechoslovakia around the same time
The Israelis relationship with the Americans had been strained in recent years
They needed a western trade partner and France seemed like the perfect one

7. Israeli Points of Contention Continued
The proposed plan could gain Israel territory in the Sinai.
Britain was also a partner in the plan
The Israelis the feared closure of the Suez Canal

8. Consequences Egypt and the Soviet win politically
Israel does not gain large amounts of territory, but its borders are now much more stable after proving its ability to wage war
Israel now occupies Sinai
Nasser emerges as a strong leader of the Arab world
Eden and Mollet are both humiliated, and the positions of France and Britain as superpowers are lost
The US assumes an even larger role as a superpower