For decades, the legacy of General Charles de Gaulle in the Middle East was a French foreign policy which remained stubbornly independent from other global powers. France found itself favour among an eclectic set of Arab leaders over the 20th century, thanks to Paris’ willingness to defend their interests against European and American influences. From De Gaulle’s de-facto defence of Palestine by embargoing the sale of French arms to Israel, to Jacques Chirac’s attempts to stall the invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, France enjoyed the fruits of comparative favour for a long time.