Ariel Sharon�s Crossing of the Suez Canal: Factors and People Who Contributed to the Crossing, 1948 - 1973

Abstract

Sometimes historical figures unfairly receive all the credit for astounding feats. This thesis argues that others along with General Ariel �Arik� Sharon should receive credit for the Israeli Suez Canal crossing during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. In 1973, Ariel Sharon�s troops opened the bridgehead for the Israeli Defense Forces to surround the Egyptian Third Army through the help of his combat and post-combat experience from his formative years as an officer (1948 � 1956); experience from negating Egyptian military advantages in 1967; Israeli military advantages; and the aid of fellow Israelis, American President Richard Nixon, and American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. This work discusses Sharon�s battles within the First Arab-Israeli War, the Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and his retaliatory raids at Qibya and Qalqilya.