The authorities in Syria must be very poor diplomats. Otherwise they would not think that Jews would be foolish enough to bring capital into Syria without even having the right to employ Jewish labor there or to buy land wherever they wish.
The stipulation which the Syrian authorities make that Jews must renounce their Zionist ideals before settling in Syria is also a sign of poor diplomacy. There may be some German Jews who, as non-Zionists, would be willing to settle in Syria under this condition. The bulk of Jewish immigrants will however, hardly agree to exchange their Zionist ideals just for the privilege of living in Syria.
Syria needs the Jews today more than the Jews need Syria. Without an influx of Jewish capital, Syria will soon be overshadowed by Palestine and will be dead to the entire East. This explains why the authorities in Syria have suddenly issued their invitation to the Jews. The conditions which this invitation contains are, however, far from encouraging a Jewish migration into Syria. They only show that the Syrians wish the Jewish money but are not ready to give anything in return for it.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
