A conference was held in the Italian town of San Remo on 16-26 April 1920 to consider the future of Middle East territories that had been under Turkish rule prior to World War I. The conference—attended by Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan—ratified decisions taken in secret war-time negotiations involving Great Britain and France (such as the Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 1916) to divide former Turkish holdings in the Middle East into spheres of influence. According to these agreements, France was given mandatory rights in Lebanon and Syria and Britain mandatory rights to Palestine and Iraq/Mesopotamia. A second San Remo conference eight months later further defined the boundaries of these areas. The mandate proposals were formally approved by the League of Nations on 24 July 1922 and became official on 29 September 1923.
See also Arab-Israeli Conflict.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..