ABSTRACT
Palestine was another creation of the post First World War settlement. Under Ottoman rule there had been no Palestine; the region had been divided among three districts, each with its Ottoman officials and a representative council of local notables. One of these districts, the Sanjak of Jerusalem, covering southern Palestine, had had a special status and was directly responsible to the government in Istanbul. The other districts were parts of vilayets which included areas of Syria and Lebanon. To the Muslim population Palestine was only a geographical expression; to the Christians it was an historical memory with religious significance and to the Jews it was roughly conterminous with the land of Israel. There was no agreement on what were the boundaries of Palestine, however, and the boundaries fixed were the result of political decisions and bargaining between Britain and France.
