Why Land Dominates the Canal

Were ships trapped in the Suez Canal when the war began?

Ships were allowed out during the fighting; later conflicts caused more serious canal closures.

Ships caught in the canal were allowed out during the operation rather than being deliberately trapped. Later Arab-Israeli wars produced more serious closures and reinforced the waterway's history as a contested strategic position. Unlike many natural maritime chokepoints, an artificial canal runs through terrain that armies can approach and occupy directly. Control of the surrounding land can dominate the movement of ships even when the canal itself is an international maritime route.