Closure of the Suez Canal (1967–1975)

For the first closure, see Closure of the Suez Canal (1956–1957).

On 6 June 1967, after the start of the Six-Day War, Egypt closed the Suez Canal, which it owned and operated, and kept it closed until 5 June 1975, through most of the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula including the east bank of the Canal. The Six-Day War had begun the day before the closure on 5 June 1967 between Israel and several Arab states including Egypt. Israel bombed most of Egypt's airfields and then entered and occupied the Sinai Peninsula including the entire east bank of the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal was the frontline between the Israeli and Egyptian military forces. Israel built the Bar Lev Line of fortifications along the east bank of the canal. In 1966, 60% of Italy's, 39% of France's, and 25% of the United Kingdom's total oil consumption passed through the Suez Canal.[1]

1956–1957 closure

The Canal had been closed before, from October 1956 until March 1957 during the Suez Crisis, when Gamal Abdel Nasser, the president of Egypt at the time, was aligning himself with the Soviet Union and he nationalized the Suez Canal, seizing it from French and British investors.[2]

War of Attrition, 1967–1970

After the Israeli victory in the Six-Day War, Egypt waged a War of Attrition against the Israelis across the canal from 1967 to 1970, in coordination with Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Hostilities initially took the form of limited artillery duels and small-scale incursions into Sinai, but by 1969, the Egyptian Army judged itself prepared for larger-scale operations. On March 8, 1969, Nasser proclaimed the official launch of the War of Attrition, characterized by large-scale shelling along the Suez Canal, extensive aerial warfare and commando raids.[3][4][5] Hostilities continued until August 1970 and ended with a ceasefire.[6] The frontiers remained the same as when the war began, with no real commitment to serious peace negotiations.

Yom Kippur War

See also: Oil embargo

On 6 October 1973, Egypt and Syria began the Yom Kippur War with an attempt to take back the entire Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights from the Israelis, by crossing the Suez Canal in Operation Badr.[7] The attempt partly succeeded in that Egypt regained control of the east bank of the canal, but Israel retained control of the rest of the Sinai Peninsula.[8]

Re-opening

After the Yom Kippur War with inconclusive results, the canal opened again in a ceremony attended by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, senior members of the government and foreign dignitaries in June 1975[9] after the 1974 Suez Canal Clearance Operation cleared the canal of mines and debris.[10][11][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "How the (closure of the) Suez Canal changed the world". Sinews of War and Trade. 31 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  2. ^ "The Suez Crisis, 1956". Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  3. ^ Dunstan, Simon (2003). Yom Kippur War 1973: The Sinai Campaign. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-221-0.
  4. ^ "Egypt Will Fight, Nasser Shouts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 2. 24 November 1967.
  5. ^ Aloni, Shlomo (2004). Israeli Mirage and Nesher Aces. Osprey. pp. 46–53.
  6. ^ "Israel-Egypt Ceasefire Agreement - Text - English (1970)". ecf.org.il. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Operation BADR: Defeating A2AD with DIME". Thestrategybridge.org. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  8. ^ Jennings, Nathan A. (1 September 2023). "Crossing under Fire: The Israeli 143d Armored Division at the Suez Canal, 1973". Marine Corps University Press. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Interim Agreement between Israel and Egypt (Sinai II) | UN Peacemaker". Peacemaker.un.org. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  10. ^ Yelena Dzhanova (28 March 2021). "The Suez Canal Has Been Blocked and Closed Several Times Since Opening". Businessinsider.com. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  11. ^ "How the (closure of the) Suez Canal changed the world". The Gamming. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Suez Canal". History.com. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
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