8vo. 431 pp., 16 facsimile documents, publisher's original wrappers, biblio, footnotes, index, copy new in mint condition, Kutub, Beirut, 2024.

Synopsis

Secret Documents of the French Occupation: Delimiting the Southern Borders and the Development of the Zionist Project in Palestine.
The book presents selected French diplomatic documents in chronological order. These documents provide a detailed and precise depiction of Zionist efforts to settle in Syria, particularly in the border areas between Palestine, Syria, and Greater Lebanon. The book also covers negotiations over border demarcations, the Newcombe-Paulet Agreement, and the acquisition of the Hula region. Zionist attempts were not limited to seizing border areas; there were ambitious efforts to settle in various regions such as Palmyra, the Euphrates, Iraq, the Amik Valley in Iskenderun, and the Bekaa Valley. The French security apparatuses deployed throughout the French-occupied areas served as key sources of information sent to the High Commissioners in Syria, who then relayed them to the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office in Paris. These reports shaped policies and plans aimed at maintaining long-term control over Syria. Readers can easily draw connections between today’s events and the schemes planned for this region of the world more than a century ago.