Treaty Series No. 19 (1927)

Agreement between Palestine and Syria and the Lebanon

TO FACILITATE GOOD NEIGHBOURLY

RELATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH
FRONTIER QUESTIONS

SIGNED AT JERUSALEM, FEBRUARY 2, 1926

Cmd. 2919

Presented by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
to Parliament by Command of His Majesty

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Agreement between Palestine and Syria and the Lebanon to facilitate Good Neighbourly Relations in connection with Frontier Questions.

Signed at Jerusalem, February 2, 1926.*

WHEREAS an agreement was concluded on the 3rd of February, 1922, between the British and the French Governments, on behalf of the territories of Palestine on the one hand, and of Syria and the Grand Lebanon on the other, to determine the frontier between these territories;

And whereas it is necessary to conclude an Agreement regulating certain administrative matters in connection with the frontier; Lieutenant-Colonel G. S. Symes, District Governor of the Northern District of Palestine;

Mr. A. S. Mavrogordato, Acting Inspector-General of Police and Prisons in Palestine;

representing His Excellency the High Commissioner for Palestine, on the one hand; and

M. Verchère de Reffye, Minister plenipotentiary and Chief Secretary to the French High Commission;

M. le Capitaine de La Bassetière, for the State of the Grand

Lebanon;

M. le Capitaine Terrier, for the State of Damascus ;

representing His Excellency the High Commissioner of the French Republic in Syria and the Lebanon on the other hand, being the persons accredited by the two High Commissioners above-mentioned, have agreed upon the following articles :

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ARTICLE 1.

Tracks or roads which form the frontier between the territories of Syria and the Lebanon on the one hand, and of Palestine on the other, shall be used freely without passport or toll of any kind by the inhabitants and the police of both territories when passing to and from places to which access is given by such tracks or roads.

Similarly, the inhabitants and police of Syria and the Lebanon may use the paths from El-Hamme to Banias immediately to the east of Lake Tiberias, the Jordan and Lake Huleh.

The inhabitants and police of Palestine shall have the like right in respect of the path from the village of Alma-es-Schub to Ramia and the path from the "neck" (col) of Odeissa to the village of Metullah and thence to Banias.

*NOTE. Certain verbal amendments were made subsequently by Notes exchanged by the High Commissioners for Palestine and for Syria and the Grand Lebanon on March 14 and 21, 1927.

(15317)

Convention de bon Voisinage entre la Palestine et la

Syrie et le Grand Liban.

Signée à Jérusalem, le 2 février 1926. *

Vu la Convention en date du 3 février 1922 conclue entre le Gouvernement britannique et le Gouvernement français, agissant au nom et pour le compte des territoires de Palestine d'une part, et de la Syrie et du Grand Liban, d'autre part, pour délimiter la frontière entre ces territoires;

Vu la nécessité de régler par une Convention certaines questions d'ordre administratif se rapportant à cette frontière;

M. le Lieutenant-Colonel G. S. Symes, Gouverneur du district du Nord de la Palestine;

M. A. S. Mavrogordato, faisant fonctions d'Inspecteur général de la Police et des Prisons;

représentants dûment accrédités de Son Excellence le HautCommissaire en Palestine d'une part; et

M. Verchère de Reffye, Ministre Plénipotentiaire, Secrétaire Général du Haut-Commissariat de France;

M. le Capitaine de La Bassetière, pour l'État du Grand Liban;

M. le Capitaine Terrier, pour l'État de Damas;

représentants dûment accrédités de Son Excellence le HautCommissaire de la République Française en Syrie et au Liban, d'autre part, se sont mis d'accord sur les articles suivants :

ARTICLE 1er.

Les pistes ou routes servant de frontières entre le Gouvernement de Syrie et du Liban d'une part et celui de la Palestine, d'autre part, seront librement utilisées sans passeport ni taxe d'aucune sorte par les habitants et les agents de la force publique de l'un ou l'autre Gouvernement qui se rendent d'un point à un autre desservi par ces pistes ou routes frontières.

De même, les habitants et les agents de la force publique de Syrie et du Liban pourront utiliser de la même manière les sentiers qui vont de El-Hamme à Banias immédiatement à l'est du Lac de Tibériade, du Jourdain et du Lac du Houlé.

Les habitants et les agents de la force publique de Palestine pourront utiliser de la même manière le sentier conduisant du village d'Alma-es-Schub à Ramia et le sentier conduisant du col d'Odeissa au village de El-Metallah et jusqu'à Banias.

* See Note on previous page.

3680 Wt.

1125 8/27 F.O.P. (15317)

B 2

ARTICLE 2.

The Governments of Syria and the Lebanon and of Palestine shall each have the right, in case of military necessity, to use the tracks and roads forming the frontier for any movement of troops, but notice of such use shall be given to the other Government concerned as soon as possible.

ARTICLE 3.

All the inhabitants, whether settled or semi-nomadic, of both territories who at the date of the signature of this agreement enjoy grazing, watering or cultivation rights, or own land on the one or the other side of the frontier, shall continue to exercise their rights as in the past. They shall be entitled, for this purpose, to cross the frontier freely and without a passport and to transport, from one side to the other of the frontier, their animals and the natural increase thereof, their tools, their vehicles whatever the mode of traction, their implements, seeds and products of the soil or subsoil of their lands, without paying any customs duties or any dues for grazing or watering or any other tax on account of passing the frontier and entering the neighbouring territory.

The same rights shall be enjoyed by their employees or tenants and by the employees of the latter.

All rights derived from local laws or customs concerning the use of the waters, streams, canals and lakes for the purposes of irrigation or supply of water to the inhabitants shall remain as at present. The same rule shall apply to village rights over communal properties.

The provisions of the Agreement of the 3rd February, 1922, reserving fishing and navigation rights in the lakes of Tiberias and Huleh and the Jordan shall be extended to all the water courses in the ceded area.

ARTICLE 4.

Paragraph 1. The collection of the tithe and wergo on estates contained within the limits of one village, whose grounds are crossed by the frontier, shall be undertaken by the Government in whose. territory the village lies.

The collection of the tithe and wergo on properties or isolated parcels of land, situated outside a village and crossed by the frontier, shall be carried out by the Government in whose territory the farm, stables or threshing floor are situated.

The revenue so collected shall be divided between the two Governments according to the assessment of a Commission composed of one Palestinian official, one Syrian official and one local notable chosen by these officials.

The division shall be made in proportion to the average yield of the properties referred to in the two preceding sub-paragraphs.

The two Governments shall draw up twice a year accounts of the sums thus received, and the Government collecting the taxes shall be entitled to a commission of 6 per cent. in this respect. The Govern