The districts and sub-districts of Mandatory Palestine formed the first and second levels of administrative division and existed through the whole era of Mandatory Palestine, namely from 1920 to 1948. The number and territorial extent of the districts varied over time, as did their subdivision into sub-districts.

In Arabic, a district was known as a minṭaqah (منطقة, plural manaṭiq مناطق), while in Hebrew it was known as a mahoz (מחוז, plural mehozot מחוזות).

Each district had an administration headed by a district governor, a role renamed as district commissioner in 1925.Peel Commission report, p. 159 Sub-districts were managed by an assistant district commissioner. They were aided by a district officer, who was typically either Arab or Jewish, based on the ethnic make-up of the sub-district.

By the end of the mandate period, Palestine was divided into 6 districts and 16 subdistricts.

Administrative divisions prior to 1922 During the Ottoman period, Palestine was divided into different provinces, each centered around a main city: Safed, Acre, Nablus, Jerusalem and Gaza. These provinces contained sub-districts centered around provincial towns. For example, during the 18th and 19th centuries, sub-district of Lod encompassed the area between Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut in the south to the present-day city of El'ad in the north, and from the foothills in the east, through the Lod Valley to the outskirts of Jaffa in the west. This area was home to thousands of inhabitants in about 20 villages, who had at their disposal tens of thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land.

Until June 1920, Palestine was under a formal military regime called O.E.T.A. (South). Initially the country was divided into 13 administrative districts, reduced to 10 in 1919, each under a military government.A Survey of Palestine: Prepared in December, 1945 and January, 1946 for the Information of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, Volume I, p.125, J. V. W. Shaw (Editor)

At the start of 1920 there were 9 districts: Jerusalem, Jaffa, Hebron, Jenin, Safed, Acre, Tiberias, Tulkarem and Beersheba,Official Gazette, O.E.T.A. (South), No. 12, 1 January 1920. but this division was modified by the following month to Jerusalem, Haifa, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Safed, Acre, Tiberias, Galilee, Tulkarem and Beersheba.Official Gazette, O.E.T.A. (South), No. 14, 1 February 1920.

The division was revised after the adoption of a civilian administration in the middle of 1920. In September 1920, the districts were Jerusalem, Galilee, Phoenicia (formerly Haifa), Samaria, Jaffa, Gaza and Beersheva.Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 26, 1 September 1920.

Administrative divisions in 1922 In July 1922, administrations of the districts of Phoenicia and Galilee were combined, as were the districts of Jerusalem and Jaffa, and the districts of Gaza and Beersheba.Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 70, 1 July 1922. Some reassignment of sub-districts also occurred.

At the time of the October, 1922, census of Palestine, there were four districts divided into 18 sub-districts.

Southern District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Hebron Sub-district Jerusalem-Jaffa District Bethlehem Sub-district Jaffa Division Jaffa Sub-district Ramleh Sub-district Jericho Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district

Samaria District Baisan Sub-district Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Tulkarem Sub-district Northern District Acre Sub-district Haifa Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district

Administrative divisions in 1924–1925

A proclamation of June 1924 divided the country into three districts with 18 sub-districts.Official Gazette, No. 116, 1 June 1924, pp. 684–690. Southern District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Hebron Sub-district Jerusalem-Jaffa District Jerusalem Division Bethlehem Sub-district Jericho Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district Jaffa Division Jaffa Sub-district Ramleh Sub-district Northern District Acre Sub-district Baisan Sub-district Haifa Sub-district Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district Tulkarem Sub-district

In August 1925, the Southern and Jerusalem-Jaffa Districts were combined into the Jerusalem-Southern District.Official Gazette, No. 147, 16 September 1925, p.459.

Administrative divisions in 1927

In July 1927, the divisions were proclaimed to consist of two districts and one division, divided into 18 sub-districts.Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 190, 1 July 1927, page 392.

Southern District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Hebron Sub-district Jaffa Sub-district Ramleh Sub-district Jerusalem Division Bethlehem Sub-district Jericho Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district Northern District Acre Sub-district Baisan Sub-district Haifa Sub-district Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district Tulkarem Sub-district

Administrative divisions in 1931

In October 1931, the Hebron Sub-district was combined with the Jerusalem Division to form the Jerusalem District.Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, 16 October 1931, p763 This was the subdivision at the time of the November 1931 census of Palestine.

Southern District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Jaffa Sub-district Ramleh Sub-district Jerusalem District Bethlehem Sub-district Hebron Sub-district Jericho Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district Northern District Acre Sub-district Baisan Sub-district Haifa Sub-district Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district Tulkarem Sub-district

Administrative divisions in 1937 In July 1937, but not gazetted until October, the Administrative Divisions (Amendment) Proclamation divided the Northern District into two districts.Supplement No. 2 to the Palestine Gazette No. 733, 28 October 1937, pp. 1001–1002. At first, the Galilee and Acre District was called the Galilee District.

Southern District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Jaffa Sub-district Ramleh Sub-district Jerusalem District Bethlehem Sub-district Hebron Sub-district Jericho Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district Haifa and Samaria District Haifa Sub-district Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Tulkarm Sub-district Galilee and Acre District Acre Sub-district Baisan Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district

Administrative divisions in 1938–1940

In 1938, the Beersheba and Gaza sub-districts were separated from the Southern District.Palestine Post, 1 December 1938, p2. Then in 1939, the Administrative Division (Amendment) Proclamation reshaped the country into six districts.Palestine Post, 2 July 1939, p1. The name of the Galilee and Acre District was changed to Galilee District in December.Supplement No. 2 to the Palestine Gazette, 30 December 1939, p. 1529. Palestine Post, 1 January 1940, p. 2. Some minor adjustments were made in December 1940.Supplement No. 2 to the Palestine Gazette, 19 December, pp. 770–783

Gaza District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Lydda District Jaffa Sub-district Ramleh Sub-district Jerusalem District Bethlehem Sub-district Hebron Sub-district Jericho Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district Samaria District Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Tulkarm Sub-district Haifa District Haifa Sub-district Galilee District Acre Sub-district Baisan Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district

Administrative divisions in 1942–1948

The Administrative Divisions (Amendment) Proclamation, 1942 reduced the number of sub-districts of the Jerusalem District to three,Government of Palestine, Supplement No. 2 to The Palestine Gazette No. 1163 of 15 January 1942, pp. 119–132. merging the Bethlehem and Jericho sub-districts into the Jerusalem sub-district. Further minor adjustments were made in 1945Government of Palestine, Supplement No. 2 to The Palestine Gazette No. 1415 of 7 June 1945, pp. 621–629. and 1947.Government of Palestine, Supplement No. 2 to The Palestine Gazette No. 1552 of 30 January 1947, pp. 125–133. This division was retained by the State of Israel until 1953, where district boundaries were redrawn to their modern form.

Gaza District Beersheba Sub-district Gaza Sub-district Lydda District Jaffa Sub-district Ramle Sub-district Jerusalem District Hebron Sub-district Jerusalem Sub-district Ramallah Sub-district Samaria District Jenin Sub-district Nablus Sub-district Tulkarm Sub-district Haifa District Haifa Sub-district Galilee District Acre Sub-district Beisan Sub-district Nazareth Sub-district Safad Sub-district Tiberias Sub-district

See also Governorates of Palestine Districts of Israel

References

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