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The pressures, in fact, had been considerable. Within days of the original Knesset bill annexing Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia and Iraq announced they would cut all diplomatic and economic ties, including oil shipments, to any country that kept its embassy in Jerusalem. Early last week Kuwait and Libya joined the ultimatum, bluntly giving Holland 30 days to make up its mind. As the recipient of up to a quarter of a million barrels of oil daily from Kuwait alone, the Dutch were in no position to resist.
If the Israelis took the embassy moves with sorrow, they expressed undisguised anger over the American decision to abstain on the U.N. vote rather than cast its veto. Ignoring the provocative nature of the Knesset vote that had led to the U.N. action, Prime Minister Menachem Begin blasted the U.S. decision as "amazing!" Nor was he in any mood to try to sweeten the atmosphere by making some concession that might get the stalled Palestinian autonomy talks under way again. On the contrary, in yet another action certain to arouse Arab ire, Israel last week announced that it would proceed with the building of six more Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.