History of Palestine

Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, 1872–1917 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, also known as the Sanjak of Jerusalem, was a district in Ottoman Syria with special administrative status established in 1872. The district encompassed Jerusalem as well as Hebron, Jaffa, Gaza and Beersheba. Many documents during the Late Ottoman period refer to the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem as Palestine; one such describes Palestine as including the Sanjak of Nablus and Sanjak of Akka (Acre) as well, more in line with European usage. It was the seventh most heavily populated region of the Ottoman Empire's 36 provinces.

Seat of power: Jerusalem

Mandatory Palestine, 1920–1948 Draft, not yet reviewed

Mandatory Palestine, officially known as Palestine, was a British administrative territory in the region of Palestine between 1920 and 1948. Under the League of Nations mandate system, Britain was entrusted with administrating Palestine on the development of representative institutions and eventual self-government. From 1922, Britain administered the territory under the Mandate for Palestine with the British High Commissioner under the Colonial Office as its chief administrator. The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 1947, recommended dividing the territory into two states, one Arab and one Jewish.

Seat of power: Jerusalem

Palestine, 1988 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared independence in 1988. In 1993, the PLO signed the Oslo Accords with Israel, creating limited PLO governance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through the Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2007, internal divisions between political factions led to a takeover of Gaza by Hamas. Since then, the West Bank has been governed in part by the Fatah-led PA, while the Gaza Strip has remained under the control of Hamas.

Seat of power: Jerusalem

Rulers

• Yasser Arafat, president of the State of Palestine, 1989–2004
• Mahmoud Abbas, president of the State of Palestine, 2005 to today