Victory Day in Egypt
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In 1956, Britain and France, embarking on aggression, aimed to assert their dominance in the Arab East, undermined by the national liberation movement, and to seize by armed force the Suez Canal, the operation of which was nationalized by Egypt on July 26, 1956.
Israel sought to weaken its neighboring Arab states, make territorial seizures at the expense of Egypt, and force Egypt and other Arab states to reconcile with Israel’s annexationist policies.
As events have shown, England, France, and Israel had a carefully designed plan of joint aggression against Egypt. On October 29, 1956, Israeli forces began the war by invading Egyptian territory (the Sinai Peninsula). On October 31, British and French forces began bombing Egypt from the air and sea and landed on November 5 in the Port Said area.
The Egyptians bravely faced the danger hanging over their homeland. Workers, students, fellahs and soldiers of the Egyptian army defended Port Said. The socialist countries, the governments of India and Indonesia, progressive international and national public organizations demanded an immediate end to the aggression.
On October 31, the Soviet government issued a special statement condemning the aggression and pointing out the need for the UN Security Council to take immediate measures to stop it. However, Britain and France, using their veto power, paralyzed the Security Council. The issue of aggression was considered several times at the Extraordinary and 11th sessions of the UN General Assembly, where resolutions were adopted (November 2, 7 and 24, 1956, etc.) demanding a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Anglo-French-Israeli armed forces from Egypt.
On November 5, 1956, the government of the USSR, in its messages to the governments of Britain, France and Israel, warned the leaders of these states that it was determined to crush the aggressors by force and restore peace in the East. On the night of November 7, 1956, the Anglo-French-Israeli aggressors were forced to cease hostilities on Egyptian territory. At the same time, having captured Port Said (Anglo-French troops) and the Sinai Peninsula (Israeli troops), the aggressors hoped to gain a foothold in the captured territory. On December 22, 1956, Britain and France and Israel withdrew from Egypt by March 8, 1957.
Thereafter, with the consent of the Government of Egypt, UN forces were stationed in Egyptian territory along the Egyptian-Israeli Armistice Line established by the agreement between Egypt and Israel of 24 February 1949.