In July 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, prompting coordinated military action from Britain, France, and Israel to reclaim control of the strategic waterway. Israeli forces entered the Sinai Peninsula on 29 October, followed by Anglo-French bombing campaigns against Egyptian military installations two days later. The intervention concluded after just over a week when international pressure, particularly from the United States, led Britain and France to accept a UN-mandated ceasefire on 6 November.
The Manchester Guardian, under recently appointed editor Alastair Hetherington, positioned itself as a prominent domestic critic of the military action from the crisis’s outset. The newspaper characterized the ultimatum delivered to Egypt as unjustified and described the overall military operations as both morally indefensible and strategically misguided. Prime Minister Anthony Eden found the Guardian’s coverage sufficiently problematic that he attempted to restrict BBC quotations from the paper and sought to prevent its diplomatic correspondent from making public statements. The paper’s editorial positions generated substantial public controversy, with incidents including a smashed window at its Fleet Street offices and widespread hostility directed at its reporters.
Despite concerns that its editorial stance would harm readership, the Guardian’s circulation actually increased following the crisis, with particularly strong growth in southern England. A UN emergency peacekeeping force deployed to Egypt on 7 November to stabilize the region. Egypt retained sovereignty over the canal, which reopened to maritime traffic in April 1957. Conservative politicians offered mixed reactions to the government’s decision to halt military operations, with some viewing the ceasefire as capitulation while others expressed relief at avoiding further international alienation and potential military entanglement.
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