These photographs come from one of a number of albums covering the Middle East in the Colonial Office library photographic collection (CO 1069) that have been made available on Flickr, the photo-sharing website.
Palestine was created as a part of the post-First World War settlement with boundaries resulting from political decisions taken by Britain and France.
Previously, under Ottoman rule, the land had been divided into three districts, each with its own Ottoman officials and a representative council of locals. Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa were the most important cities. The port city of Jaffa, Bride of the Sea, was mainly Arab but began to emerge as a cultural and educational centre for the immigrant Jewish population in the late 19th century. In 1909 Tel Aviv was founded as a Jewish suburb on its northern outskirts.
The lottery for housing plots Document (reference: CO 1069/730 (4))