Is a Greater Syria possible after WWI?

[Vinization]

During the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI, the Syrian National Congress proclaimed Faisal (a member of the Hashemite dynasty) king of a Syria whose territory was supposed to encompass what is now Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel. This self-proclaimed state lasted only four months, however, as its army was easily defeated by the French and the lands it claimed were partitioned between them and Great Britain, as stipulated by the Sykes-Picot Agreement.

Is there any chance, with a POD after the outbreak of WWI, for the Kingdom of Syria to exist in the shape the Congress envisioned? What if the Entente still wins (so that the OE still falls apart) but their victory is so costly they're not willing to send troops to enforce a partition of the Levant? There are plenty of potential PODs for that - a pyrrhic German victory at Verdun, Russia dropping out early, the US not joining and so on.

One thing's for sure, this hypothetical state would be a nightmare to administrate properly, at least at first, given all the religious and ethnic minorities within its territory. Also, could the Hashemites become the champions of Arab nationalism ITTL, rather than Nasser and his followers?

 

[ahmedali]

It's very easy to just make France more exhausted from OTL and thus be forced to leave Syria to the British

(By Italy joining the Germans, the central powers continue to lose, and France gives Libya in return for all the Middle East, including Syria, to Britain)

I think that East Jordan will continue to be established like OTL, but the difference is that Zaid Ibn Al-Hussein, brother of Faisal and Abdullah, becomes its king.

Abdullah is here to become the king of Iraq, as the original plan stipulated (a position that would suit him much more than OTL, unlike Faisal al-Daif)

Faisal will rule Syria within the borders of the OTL, with Lebanon and Hatay merged with it (which, unlike France, Britain will not hand over to the Turks)

Syria would suit him well


You can avoid Nasser's rise by either having an Arab victory in the 1948 war against Israel

(Because it will ensure that all its repercussions are avoided, including the 1952 coup).

Or kill him during the 1948 war and leave Najib al-Muhaimin in the 1952 coup

(Naguib wanted the monarchy to remain, restore civil rule, leave the army, and suffice with expelling Farouk)

 

[Vinization]

You can avoid Nasser's rise by either having an Arab victory in the 1948 war against Israel

Would Israel even exist ITTL?

 

[ahmedali]

Would Israel even exist ITTL?

If the Balfour Declaration still happened as it did historically, then yes

However, the point of difference during World War I could easily be avoided and thus not Israel

 

[Abd ar-Rahman II]

During the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI, the Syrian National Congress proclaimed Faisal (a member of the Hashemite dynasty) king of a Syria whose territory was supposed to encompass what is now Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel. This self-proclaimed state lasted only four months, however, as its army was easily defeated by the French and the lands it claimed were partitioned between them and Great Britain, as stipulated by the Sykes-Picot Agreement.

Is there any chance, with a POD after the outbreak of WWI, for the Kingdom of Syria to exist in the shape the Congress envisioned?
What if the Entente still wins (so that the OE still falls apart) but their victory is so costly they're not willing to send troops to enforce a partition of the Levant? There are plenty of potential PODs for that - a pyrrhic German victory at Verdun, Russia dropping out early, the US not joining and so on.

yeah I think a harder / lesser Entente victory if one want to the Arab kingdom of syria to exist in all it's proclaimed territory , but I'm doubtful that they can be weakened to the extent that they would be completely able to avoid colonisation and then if the Kingdom is completely independent they are at the risk of being attacked by the Ottoman / Turkey that would be interested in retaking Northern Syria / Aleppo .
I think having Faisal surrender arriving on time or negotiating early on with the French and unifying Greater Syria from this base on the post colonial era .
Alternatively post WW2 you could have Abdullah I survive his assassination and go on with his plan to unify Jordan and Syria with Druze support , from there he will have to annex Lebanon and maybe retake more of Palestine from Israel

One thing's for sure, this hypothetical state would be a nightmare to administrate properly, at least at first, given all the religious and ethnic minorities within its territory. Also, could the Hashemites become the champions of Arab nationalism ITTL, rather than Nasser and his followers?

Yeah if they manage to rule all of Greater Syria in the post WW1 they are guaranteed to become the champion of Arab Nationalism that they were trying to be for a time at least

 

[Vinization]

Restarting this thread to ask: could a British landing in Alexandretta instead of Gallipoli in 1915 affect subsequent events enough to make a Greater Syria more likely to appear?

From what I've read on other threads about the subject, it seems to me the Ottoman position in the Middle East fairly quickly due to lack of supplies. Assuming the British succeed in their endeavor, of course.

Here's a map of Ottoman railway lines in WWI, for reference.

 

[YYJ]

One thing's for sure, this hypothetical state would be a nightmare to administrate properly, at least at first, given all the religious and ethnic minorities within its territory.

Tiny Lebanon is a nightmare to administrate properly, for those very reasons. Still, the Ottomans managed it, in their way, for 600 years.

 

[Helmuth48]

Yes, Greater Syria is possible when the advice of the King-Crane Commission is adopted at the Paris Peace Conference. The advice regarding Syria read:

The Commission recommended to include Palestine in a united Syrian State, the holy places being cared for by an International and Inter-religious Commission, in which also the Jews would have representation. All Syria should become under a single Mandate, led by a Power desired by the people, with America as first choice.

Or visit this interactive map.

 

[Vinization]

Yes, Greater Syria is possible when the advice of the King-Crane Commission is adopted at the Paris Peace Conference. The advice regarding Syria read:


Or visit this interactive map.

The idea of giving the US colonies/mandates in the Middle East is definitely, well, something.

I think the only plausible way a plan like this could be accepted is if Greater Syria was given to France, or if the Americans play a more decisive role in ending the war.

 

[YYJ]

The idea of giving the US colonies/mandates in the Middle East is definitely, well, something.

I think the only plausible way a plan like this could be accepted is if Greater Syria was given to France, or if the Americans play a more decisive role in ending the war.

The note on the interactive map of the King Crane Commission above in post # 8 is interesting, re French rule.

THE FRENCH IN THE LEVANT
The people the commission interviewed in the Levant repeatedly declared that they sought independence, might consider an American or British mandate, and under no circumstances wanted to be ruled by the French. The report cited as commonly given reasons for this sentiment that “[t]he French are enemies of religion,” “[women] who receive French education tend to become uncontrollable,” and “[t]he French have not treated the natives as equals in Algeria and Tunisia.”

 

[YYJ]

Is there any way that a sizeable Jewish minority could be just one of the minorities in TTL greater Syria, with perhaps municipal control and some special arrangements? I am not all that familiar with the Palestinian Jewish situation in the 19teens-'20s-'30s. I do know there were Jewish communities of various sizes all over the region.

 

[Vinization]

Is there any way that a sizeable Jewish minority could be just one of the minorities in TTL greater Syria, with perhaps municipal control and some special arrangements? I am not all that familiar with the Palestinian Jewish situation in the 19teens-'20s-'30s. I do know there were Jewish communities of various sizes all over the region.

Probably. Like you said there were Jewish communities all over the Middle East, and even if the events that led to the creation of Israel are butterflied away some European Jews will definitely go there, if only to escape their homelands' varying degrees of antisemitism.

 

[Helmuth48]

The idea of giving the US colonies/mandates in the Middle East is definitely, well, something.

I think the only plausible way a plan like this could be accepted is if Greater Syria was given to France, or if the Americans play a more decisive role in ending the war.

A French mandate was seen as the worst option, as YYJ already indicated. King-Crane's ideas therefore clash considerably with the colonial interests of Britain and France. Unfortunately, those interests take precedence over the interests of the local population, as always. I wouldn't really know how to get France and Britain to change their mind, except by losing the war themselves.

The article accompanying the interactive map can be read here. It shows how difficult it is to draw borders in an area with so many different ethnic and religious groups.