Palestine is a tiny piece of territory that has played a significant part in the Middle East’s ancient and current history. Palestine’s history has been defined by recurrent political turmoil and violent land grabs, owing to Palestine’s significance to many major global faiths and its physical location at a vital juncture between Africa and Asia. The era immediately preceding the establishment of the first advanced Settlements in the west bank from the conclusion of the Crimean War in 1856 to the 1880s—was marked by profound changes in administration, economy, and contacts with others in the environment. Between around 1517 and 1917, the Ottoman Empire dominated a large portion of the area. Western infiltration of the Ottoman Empire and the European countries’ strong diplomatic presence in Jerusalem occurred during these eras. This practice also contributed to Jerusalem’s increasing significance within the dominion, resulting in 1873 with the formation of a district with Jerusalem as its metropolis. The formation of municipal, district (sanjak), and province (vilayet) councils in the 1860s and 1870s, with members nominated by the area governor or voted by male landowners, was component of this enlargement of Ottoman authority.