"Settling" in Syria

Don't get excited. From an academic study on a period of 80 years ago:

The idea of promoting Jewish settlement in Syria and Lebanon was considered from the time of the creation of the French Mandate in these countries. The Zionist leadership saw in it the potential for enlarging the Jewish National Home in Palestine, and from the 1930s non-Zionists saw it as an outlet for persecuted Jews in Nazi Germany. This study examines these plans, their development and ultimate demise. While earlier studies have generally been limited to discussing the Zionist aspect, the present study also addresses both non-Zionist and non-Jewish factors, particularly the French mandatory authorities, and is largely based on documentation found in the Archives du Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres in Paris and Nantes. The French authorities debated the possibility of authorizing Jewish entry into Syria and Lebanon. Jewish immigration was perceived as capable of offering a solution to the deep economic crisis in which both countries found themselves. On the other hand, grave concerns were articulated that such actions would lead to Moslem rioting, spurred by fears of potential Jewish domination. Jewish hopes for local Christian support only intensified these feelings. Jewish settlement ceased to be a reality and became a symbol instead. As for the French, they were convinced that Jewish immigration would act as a Trojan horse, serving British aspirations to acquire hegemony in the entire Near East. The French made no distinction between Zionists and non-Zionists in their attitude towards the Jews. They simply believed that the future creation of a Jewish state was a fact, and therefore that additional territories in Syria and Lebanon would become a vital need for it. The French, therefore, ultimately adopted an intransigent position against Jewish immigration.

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