 The only alternative would have been allow the Israelis to use it, which was anathema to the Egyptian government.Even if the political issues surrounding the canal could have somehow been resolved, its maintenance would have been economically nonviable since very few (if any) shippers would have been willing to send their vessels and crews through what was effectively a no man's land in an active combat zone.Throughout the eight years, the Israeli and Egyptian armies faced off against each other on either side of the Suez Canal.