ABSTRACT
The Suez Canal was removed, physically, from the points of direct Egypt—Israel interaction; 150 miles separated it from the ADL at its closest point. Yet, like the border, the Canal lay at the core of Egypt—Israel tensions and, ultimately, of the second Arab—Israel war. Much of this friction could be traced to a single source: the ban on Israeli vessels and contraband cargoes known collectively as the Egyptian blockade.
