Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-10
Picking Up the Pieces

1t has been less than two weeks since the
Israelis, closely followed by France and
Britain, launched their singularly ILL
advised attack on Egypt. There has been
Time enough, however, to begin to take
stock OF gains and losSes-and to start
the unhappy business Of picking up the
pieces.
In the short view, the three attacking
countries have failed to achieve any of
their major detectives. Israel conquered
the Sinai Peninsula and the GAIA strip.
The Israeli government announced that
1t would not yield one inch of this cap
tured territory But within "a hours
there was complete about-face. Israel
now says that it will withdraw from the
Sinai Peninsula when a United Nations
police force moves in, and it may soon
pull out Of the GAIA strip.
France and Britain went into Egypt
for the stated purpose of safeguarding
the flow of shipping through the Suez
Canal Their larger aims, it seems safe
to say, were to topple President Nasser
and to establish some kind of interna-
tional control of the canal None of these
some is ships sunk in it, is clogged for
two months or more. Nasser has not
been brought down, and, in fact, he prob
ably is In stronger position than before.
And as for the future of the canal-it is
unlikely that it will be taken out of Egyp-
tan control.
But these are merely the short-view
loSSeS-and If there have been any real
gains, we do not know what they are In
the longer view, the picture is even
darker.
The outlook for Israel is dangerous
In the extreme. For 1t seems that Israel
will have to contend in the future, not
just with Shaky Arab coalition, but
with an embittered Arab world, rein
forced, If current reports are true, by
modern Russian fighter planes, bombers
and advisers" It was this threat of
massive Russian Intervention, one sus-
poets, and not President Eisenhower's
urgent appeal, which persuaded the Isra-
ellis to reverse their stand and announce
their willingness to get out Of the Sinai
Peninsula For if Russia means business,
Israel is faced with the prospect of losing
more than its war-won gains.
The outlook for the French, and
especially for the British, certainly is not
much brighter. BY their own rashness,
they have brought themselves to the
verge of major war. Perhaps this can be
averted, and we must all hope so-for If
it comes to that the United States can
hardly stay out. But If Nasser, as the
fomenter Of rebellion among the Algerian
Arabs has been a thorn in the French
side in the past, he promises to be q
sharper thorn in the future AS for the
British, this essentially unsuccessful at
tack on Egypt very probably will mean
an end to the last veStige of their in
fluence in the oil-rich Arab world. And
If the resulting vacuum is to be filled by
Russian influence, then that alone is a
loss of the first magnitude.
This is a summary which neglects
many factors. 1t omits the Russian troop
movements in East Germany and on the
Polish border. 1t takes no account of the
damage done to Anglo-French prestige
throughout the world, and especially in
Africa and Asia. 1t does not touch upon
the terrible dilemma in which the United
Nations has been placed. 1t passes over
the undertaking of Sir Anthony Eden's
position in Britain.
1t is summary enough, however, to
yindicate the fears Of our own Govern
ment that France and Britain had
rushed in where the angels should fear
to tread Let us hope that they can ex-
tricate themselves without new war
and that the Arabs will not be overly
anxious to have the Russians move in on
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