Trouble in the Suez

An argument started between Israel and Egypt when a security council, created by both and other Middle East countries, stated that Egypt open up its canal for Israel to use for shipping. Egypt refused to open it up. In 1954, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Muhammad Salah al-Din stated, “The Arab people will not be embarrassed to declare: We shall not be satisfied except by the final obliteration of Israel from the map of the Middle East.” This comment would spark controversy and a war between the two countries that would start in 1956.
Over 100,000 soldiers were positioned on the borders of the two countries fighting for the control of the Suez Canal. But this was bigger than it looked. The French and British joined Israel’s side because Egypt had sided with Nasser. The French stated, “They could use Israel’s fear of Egyptian aggression and the continuing blockade as a pretext for their own strike against Nasser.” The French and British demanded that the fighting countries retreat from the canal. They didn’t, but French and British governments knew they wouldn’t so they sent French and British troops to “protect” the canal.
On October 30th of 1956, the U.S. said to the Security Council that they should call for a withdrawal of Israel from the canal. The French and British disagreed, and launched air support to bombing Egypt. The U.S. wasn’t happy about the actions committed by French and British and because of the secret alliance the two countries made with Israel to secure more territory. The two sides won what they wanted; they took Egypt out of the Suez Canal. But Israel also got tensions sparked between it and the U.S.
The U.S. didn’t want any more problems to start in that territory in the future so they sponsored a UN resolution creating the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) to supervise the territories vacated by the Israeli forces.