The San Remo Conference, held in April 1920, was a significant meeting among the principal Allied Powers following World War I, notably the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Japan. The conference's primary agenda was to determine the fate of the former Ottoman territories. The resolution passed during this conference essentially laid the groundwork for the administrative mandates of these lands. The League of Nations was established to facilitate international cooperation and peacekeeping, and the mandates were a key element of this new order. The conference resulted in the allocation of Class 'A' mandates, notably for Palestine, Syria, and Iraq, assigning these territories primarily to Britain and France for administration.

Amongst the discussions, a crucial highlight was the British commitment to the Balfour Declaration, which supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This contentious decision ignited significant political and communal tensions that persisted throughout the 20th century. The allocations made at San Remo were viewed by the mandated powers as a means of civilizing and stabilizing these regions, supposedly under the guise of providing administrative support until each country was capable of self-governance.

However, the implications of these mandates were profound and far-reaching. The decisions made in San Remo effectively delineated borders and established governance in a manner that often disregarded ethnic, cultural, and historical contexts of the populations inhabiting these areas. As such, the agreements laid out created a lasting legacy of conflict and instability, with ongoing disputes in Palestine and neighboring territories casting a long shadow over the Middle East's evolution throughout the century.