The Ottoman Era

In late Ottoman times West Bank was part of the southern Syrian vilayet (province) of Beirut, and the northern sector of the Independent Sanjak (district) of Jerusalem. Beirut Vilayet included the fertile Sanjaks of Acre and Nablus in the north. A crucial issue was legislation pertaining to land, the source of most wealth and hence political power during the Ottoman era. In theory, all land belonged to the sultan or the state, acting as trustee for God; it was subdivided and classified according to various forms of usage, based on factors such as tradition and custom, quality or category of land, whether it was used individually or communally, or held in trusteeship for religious institutions. Political influence in the Arab community often corresponded with ownership of large estates. Some influential families had lived in Palestine for centuries, others for only a few generations. Many were townsmen who had acquired wealth from business or land transactions.