(1918-1970) President of Egypt from 1954-1970. Nasser came to power following the 1952 Free Officers' Coup in Egypt. As Egyptian President, he oversaw two regional wars with
Israel, including the
1956 War in connection to the Suez Canal and the
1967 War, during which Israel captured the
Sinai Peninsula, claiming it as a buffer zone. Nasser engaged in military action against the
Israeli presence in the Sinai until his acceptance of the US-brokered Rogers Plan in 1970 that promised a return of the Sinai if Egypt ended hostilities with Israel; Israel, the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and many Arab countries rejected this plan. Nasser was also well known for his socialist and pan-Arab ideas, his harsh policies toward the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and his support of the PLO. See "
Gamal Abdal Nasser," International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008.