The Turkish Empire pursued an extremely anti-Zionist policy. Jewish immigration to Palestine was prohibited. Those who settled in Palestine by hook or by crook (often for a bribe) were denied citizenship by the Turks. In 1914, 30% of the Jews of Palestine did not have Turkish citizenship, and they were deported to Egypt (thank God they were not killed, thanks to the plea of the German Emperor Wilhelm).
At the same time, the Turkish authorities attracted Arab settlers (Muslims and Christians) from neighboring and distant countries of their empire. Among the Arabs of Israel and Palestine are descendants of settlers from Egypt, Syria (grandfather of Mahmoud Abbas), Lebanon, Hijaz (Arabia), Bosnia, Kurdistan, Sudan, Maghreb, Caucasus, etc.
Since most of the lands of Palestine were public (“belonged to the Sultan”), they were allocated as private property to non-Jewish settlers. I personally know a family of immigrants from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), to whom the “Sultan” allocated large tracts of land in Jaffa (they believe that the Wolfson Clinic is located on this land), in Gaza, Tulkarm, and in Galilee.
The British colonialists continued the policies of the previous masters. They gave 700 thousand dunams of public lands to Arab landowners from Palestine and Syria, and 17 thousand dunams to newly arrived Jews. This was a gross violation of the terms of the Mandate of the League of Nations, which transferred Palestine to Britain with the condition of the settlement of Jews on this land (clause 6 of the Mandate).
17% of the land that was purchased by Jews before 1948 on the private market was partially occupied by Palestinian fellahin and passed to its rightful owners only in 1948 as a result of Palestinian flight.
