The term “state” was certainly in use at the time of the Balfour declaration (a personal letter from an ex PM of the UK – and known anti-semite, who had been politically sidelined and was seeking a way back into influence and power and so believed the Zionist anti-semitic claim that “world Jewry” would bring the US alongside Britain in WWI) and was proposed by the Zionists for this letter, which they had a direct hand in crafting. It was rejected. Under international law, and the Mandate system, Britain was required to preserve the laws in place in Palestine at the time it defeated the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Palestinians, as I have already mentioned were citizens of the Turkish Ottoman Empire and represented as Palestinians in its government. According to Turkish Ottoman laws – the term citizen meant the same thing it means today. And the Palestinians (including Muslims, Jewish, Christian, Bedouin, Druze) were CITIZENS of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. As well, according to Turkish Ottoman laws – the term “nation” was used and it was used to refer to the various religious denominations within Palestine: muslim nation, christian nation, jewish nation, etc. The UK repeated this practice, because under international law they were obliged. In 1925 the King made an order declaring all Palestinian citizens of the Turkish Empire (the document was provided, you can look at the defining details) citizens of Palestine. The Balfour Declaration was an empty letter written to appease the Zionists with the objective of furthering Britain’s war aims.