This article examines the early friction between the French Mandate authorities and the local leadership of Djebel-Druze, focusing on the diplomatic and military events of August 1921. Based on primary sources from the French Ministry of Defense archives and the personal memoirs of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, the study highlights the strategic non-compliance of Sultan al-Atrash following the French occupation of Suwayda. The paper analyzes how Georges Catroux sought to consolidate French authority by co-opting spiritual and temporal leaders, contrasted with the calculated evasion of Sultan al-Atrash. Key archival documents, including intelligence reports from Major Pouille and the "Loyal Observer," reveal the French attempts to arrest Sultan in his stronghold of al-Quraya and his tactical withdrawal to Bakka. Furthermore, the study explores the internal pressures exerted by local spiritual leaders and the external influence of Prince Abdullah in Transjordan on Sultan’s decision-making. The research concludes that this period was characterized by a profound lack of trust and a sophisticated use of diplomatic correspondence by the Druze leadership to delay military confrontation, marking a crucial prelude to the later armed resistance against the Mandate.
Nawras Aziz (Thu,) studied this question.