When Israeli forces backed by British and French fighter planes drove out Egyptian forces from the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal—which had been nationalized by Nasser—in 1956, the commander of the Egyptian armed forces, Abdel Hakim Amer, panicked and suggested surrendering. Nasser refused and put Boghdadi in charge of organizing Egyptian resistance along the canal. After the Suez War, he was appointed general administrator for reconstruction of the canal area and according to author Said Aburish, "performed admirably." He was also made minister of communications and along with Zakaria Mohieddine and Amer, was placed on a committee that would screen the candidates of the newly established 350-member National Assembly. Boghdadi was elected as Speaker of the First National Assembly.