ABSTRACT
The nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, like the Czech arms deal, stands as one of the great advances in Egypt's struggle to free herself from the coils of psychological bondage. In order to understand why war broke out in 1956, this chapter examines in the field of international politics the complex reasons for the emergence of the Suez Crisis. The Czech arms deal completely altered Israel's relations with Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. On the theme of Israeli expansionism, which occupies so much of popular, and therefore politically important, Arab accounts of the outbreak of war in 1956, the chapter includes a brief and moderate assessment by a distinguished student of the Arab world. By early 1956 the Israeli population was severely exercised by its lack of security and its grim future prospects. In Egypt, only the Palestinians living in Gaza or soldiers and police stationed there or in the area were affected.
