Up until that moment the ostensible reason for forwarding these troops to Syria was to punish 'Abdallah Pasha of Acre for giving refuge to a number of Egyptian peasants who had fled to Syria in an attempt to evade conscription and taxes levied by the Pasha's government. 127 When Mehmed Ali complained to the Sublime Porte about 'Abdallah Pasha's refusal to hand back the peasants, the Porte replied by saying that as far as it was concerned both Egypt and Syria were imperial eyalets and the Sultan did not mind where his subjects wished to dwell as long as this was within his dominions. Obviously this was not the true or main reason for undertaking such a bold and dangerous expedition and the Porte knew very well that it was only a pretext. However, this continued to be the official line issued from Cairo.

XREF: Connects to the ongoing theme about Mehmed Ali's hidden aims in campaigns, like Hijaz and Sudan. Builds on: "Mehmed Ali's denied Syrian reward precipitated his military seizure."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 248