In May 1916, France and Great Britain signed the Sykes-Picot Agreement, in which the claims of both sides to the Levant were set down, determining areas of administration and influence. Until 1923, the sides were involved in hard bargaining, with the British insisting on two principles: control of the Biblical area “from Dan to Beer Sheba;” and control of its water sources, the Jordan River and Sea of Galilee.
