The struggle for free Jewish immigration to Palestine during British mandate years (1922-1948) was followed by another, almost unknown, struggle for Jewish immigration to Syria and Lebanon, which were then under French mandate. Demands for settlement ranged from Rotterdam and Cologne to Karachi and Kabul. This struggle, intensified during the ...
(Show more)The struggle for free Jewish immigration to Palestine during British mandate years (1922-1948) was followed by another, almost unknown, struggle for Jewish immigration to Syria and Lebanon, which were then under French mandate. Demands for settlement ranged from Rotterdam and Cologne to Karachi and Kabul. This struggle, intensified during the Nazi persecutions since 1933, was led in that period mainly by non political organizations.
Both the plans (sometimes fantastic) for massive Jewish installation in Syria and Lebanon, and the hesitant reaction of the French authorities, reflect mainly social and mental factors. Those are richly documented in the French Archives du Ministere des Affaires etrangeres. The paper will analyze the rationale of those various, complicated and sometimes contradicting.
Jewish plans considered mass settlement, up to 10 000 families, either in Northern marshy parts of the Gharb region or, alternatively, in Allaouite autonomous region. Their ideas were supported by different minorities, Christian Maronites and even Shi'ite Moslems (nowadays the bitterest enemies of the state of Israel…). They claimed Jewish immigration will be beneficial both economically and socially to the entire impoverished local population. The French, on their side, feared the Jewish immigration might prejudice Syrian middle classes, bring Jewish cultural dominance, cause uncontrollable tensions with the sensitive Moslem urban lower classes. While Jewish organizations claimed they would take particular care not to repeat mistakes done in previous years in Palestine: the immigrants will be obliged to learn Arabic and to intermingle between Arab populations. The French remained reserved.
Many peculiarities added to this complicated situation: Jewish crooks in Danzig tried to use the process for illegal huge money transfers. On the other side, prominent personalities of Moslem Elites, while condemning violently and publicly those plans, clandestinely tried to sell their own lands to those Jewish organizations…
Finally World War II broke. Since 1940 each of the involving parties found itself in unpredictable dire straits. The dream evaporated, never to return.
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