Sykes-Picot Agreement | Just Vision

The glossary is comprised of nearly 250 terms related to the Israeli-Palestinian context. Given the rapidly shifting landscape, these terms cannot capture the full range of nuances, narratives and historical events. This tool is meant as a starting point and we encourage you to continue your exploration of this topic through further research. Last update and review: September 2015.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

This was the secret 1916 agreement made during World War I between France and Great Britain (with Russia's agreement), to divide the Ottoman Empire-controlled Middle East into French and British spheres of control. Britain was accorded control over what is present-day Palestine/Israel, Jordan, and southern Iraq. France was accorded control over what is present-day Lebanon, Syria, northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey. The Sykes-Picot Agreement is what led to the British Mandate of Palestine. See "Why border lines drawn with a ruler in WW1 still rock the Middle East," Tarek Osman, BBC, Dec 14, 2013.