other · Anatolia and the Levant

Occupied Enemy Territory Administration

1917 CE – 1920 CE · capital Jerusalem

The British-led military government of the former Ottoman Levant after the First World War, which preceded the French and British mandates.

Origins

After General Allenby's forces took Jerusalem in December 1917 and conquered the rest of the Levant in 1918, the occupied Ottoman territories were placed under military administration as Occupied Enemy Territory, as international law required until a peace settlement.

Rule and society

The territory was divided into zones: OETA South, roughly Palestine, under British officers; OETA East, inland Syria and Transjordan, administered by Faisal's Arab government; and OETA North (or West), the coast, under French officers. The administration preserved Ottoman law, restored supplies after wartime famine and began reconstruction. Ronald Storrs served as military governor of Jerusalem.

Decline and legacy

In 1920 the San Remo conference assigned mandates to Britain and France. OETA South was replaced by a civil administration under Herbert Samuel in July 1920, forming Mandatory Palestine, while France occupied inland Syria after defeating the Arab Kingdom of Syria.

Lineage

Ottoman Empire 1299 CE – 1922 CEOccupied Enemy Territory AdministrationMandatory Palestine 1920 CE – 1948 CE

Connections (1)

  • Occupied Enemy Territory Administration was part of British Empire1917 CE – 1920 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Occupied Enemy Territory Administration. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/occupied-enemy-territory-administration
MLA
“Occupied Enemy Territory Administration.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/occupied-enemy-territory-administration. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Occupied Enemy Territory Administration.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/occupied-enemy-territory-administration.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Occupied Enemy Territory Administration’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/occupied-enemy-territory-administration (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻