The Suez Crisis

1956

Two years prior to the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egyptian leader, General Gamal Abdel Nasser began efforts to separate itself from British influence. Such moves culminated in the US and Britain withdrawing the funds that supported Egypt?s Amsal Dam project. Eventually, in July 1956, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. As a result, British, French, and Israeli foreign officials coordinated military plans to recapture the Suez Canal, which they successfully executed from 5 - 6 November. Under immense pressure from the US, USSR, and the UN, a ceasefire was agreed to (and implemented by the first UN peacekeeping forces, UNEF) and British, French, and Israeli troops withdrew by early 1957.