The Suez Canal and Civilians in Egypt

During world war two, Egypt was a very valuable commodity to be in control of. The Suez Canal was a major thing to be in control of during the war, because whoever was in control of the Suez Canal, had access to all the oil in Egypt, and you need oil to make your tanks run, and your planes fly. The Suez Canal was also important, strategically, because whoever had access to it, had the quickest route between the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans. The Canal’s importance was also proven in the first World War, when Britain and France closed the Canal to all non-Allied shipping.
Amongst all the other territories being fought over during the war, the Suez Canal was especially important to Germany and Britain. Both countries seemed to fight the hardest for it, and after the war, Britain was the one who gained, and held, control of it.
Something especially interesting about all of this, is the fact that Egypt was technically “neutral” during the war, but soon enough, Cairo became an important military base for the British. The British were allowed to station themselves in Cairo because in 1936, they signed a treaty that stated that the United Kingdom has the right to station troops on Egyptian soil in order to protect the Suez Canal.
On September 13, 1940, Italy invaded Egypt in hopes of taking control of the Suez Canal. To be in control of the Suez Canal during World War II was an extreme advantage, because of the need for oil. The second World War was different from the first because of the new technology that was being used (tanks, planes, etc.); and almost all of that new technology required fuel. Italy invaded in hopes of gaining control of the Canal, but they had to face the British who were already stationed there.
The unfortunate part of all of this, is that many Egyptians got killed because of the fighting between the Italians and the British. Even though there were many worse civilian incidences during World War II, that does not degrade the importance of this one. The fighting going on between the troops was obviously part of war, but when the fighting begins to endanger the lives of innocent civilians, that is when it is crossing the line. War IS fighting, but civilians did not sign up to be in the military. They are normal people trying to live their lives, and they should not be targets of violence (intentional or accidental). War is supposed to be one country’s military fighting against another country’s military. No where in that description does it say that killing innocent civilians is okay. Yes, it’s hard to see who you’re shooting at in the heat of the moment of battle, but Italy and Britain should have accepted the moral obligation of not fighting near a bunch of civilians.
War is an extremely chaotic time, and most of us cannot imagine how hard it must be to keep everything straight, and focus on what you are supposed to be focused on. But when you join the military, you are held to a certain moral standard. You also have moral and ethical obligations, one of them being not endangering anyone’s life if it can be avoided; and that just goes to show that many of the lives of these civilians could have been spared.

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