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Foreword
October 2003 marked the 30 th anniversary of the Arab oil embargo levied
against The Netherlands as a ‘punishment’ for its pro-Israeli stance in the
October War. On October 6, 1973, Egyptian and Syrian troops attacked
Israel in an attempt to regain the land occupied by Israel since 1967, and
for several days the Israeli army had its back against the wall. In The
Netherlands, the first reports of the war aroused great concern: Israel
must be helped as in 1956 and in 1967.
The Dutch government led by Prime Minister Joop den Uyl had been in
power in The Netherlands since May 1973, a coalition consisting of, on
the one hand, three progressive parties, the Dutch Labour Party (Partij
van de Arbeid, PvdA) and two smaller parties: the progressive-liberal
d’66 and the Radical Party (ppr), and on the other hand, the Catholic
People’s Party (the Katholieke Volkspartij, kvp) and the protestant Anti-
Revolutionary Party (arp). After the outbreak of the October War, the
Den Uyl Cabinet left no doubt as to its pro-Israeli sympathies, making it
clear in a governmental statement that it held Egypt and Syria responsible
for initiating hostilities and for unilaterally violating the truce. In the European
Community, too, The Netherlands took a more emphatically pro-
Israeli stand than did other member states, so much so that for a while
The Hague found itself isolated.
Nor was this merely a matter of words. Under conditions of strict secrecy,
a considerable quantity of ammunitions and spare parts was sent
to Israel, an extensive military operation in Dutch terms, which it has
long been maintained was undertaken without the knowledge of the Cabinet.
This political and military support for Israel would subsequently be
given as the reason for an oil embargo levied against The Netherlands.
Yamani, the Saudi Minister responsible for oil matters, himself declared
that this was the main motive for the embargo.
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