The Political Economy of Soviet-Israeli Oil Relations, 1948 - 1967

Abstract

There have been several excellent studies of Soviet-Israeli relations but the role of oil has received almost no scholarly attention. This is due primarily to the paucity of published material on this topic as the Soviets have revealed very little about their oil ties with Israel other than the quantity of oil delivered to that state during the years 1953- 1956. Israeli sources are much more forthcoming in regard to certain details but the information provided is still rather sparse because of censorship guidelines. Ever since Israel's independence was announced in 1948, oil has been considered a matter of national security because it is essential to the military, and Israel's oil import routes suffer from strategic vulnerability. In addition, the Israeli government has feared that excessive publicity could lead her suppliers to cancel certain oil agree ments. Oil remains a touchy subject in Israel but, now that the Soviet- Israeli oil trade has been inoperative for over eight years, this clarifi cation of the historical record concerning past events should in no way jeopardize Israeli security interests. Nevertheless, it is preferable that the numerous Israelis who provided information and documentation for this study should remain anonymous.