8th March 1957
Egypt reopens the Suez Canal
Following Israel's withdrawal from occupied Egyptian territory, the
Suez Canal is reopened to international traffic. However, the canal
was so littered with wreckage from the Suez Crisis that it took
weeks of cleanup by Egyptian and United Nations workers before
larger ships could navigate the waterway.
The Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas
across Egypt, was completed by French engineers in 1869. For the
next 88 years, it remained largely under British and French
control, and Europe depended on it as an inexpensive shipping route
for oil from the Middle East.
In July 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized
the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would pay for construction
of a massive dam on the Nile River. In response, Israel invaded in
late October, and British and French troops landed in early
November, occupying the canal and other Suez territory. Under
pressure from the United Nations, Britain and France withdrew in
December, and Israeli forces departed in March 1957. That month,
Egypt took over control of the canal and reopened it to commercial
shipping.
Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six
Day War and Israel's occupation of the Sinai peninsula. It remained
closed for eight years, ending when Egyptian President Anwar
el-Sadat reopened it in 1975 after peace talks with Israel.
