Amine Gemayel

Amine Pierre Gemayel (Arabic: أمين بيار الجميّل, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [ʔæmiːn ɪlʒmaj.jɪl]; born 22 January 1942) is a Lebanese politician who served as the eighth president of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988.

Gemayel was born in Bikfaya to Pierre Gemayel, the founder of the Christian Kataeb Party (also known as the "Phalanges"). He worked as a lawyer, then was elected as a deputy for Northern Metn in 1970 by-election, following the death of his uncle, Maurice Gemayel, and once again in the 1972 general election. At the start of the Lebanese Civil War, the Phalanges were a member of the Lebanese Front, allied with Syria against the leftist National Movement. However, Syria became their enemy, while they started receiving the support of Israel. This phase saw the rise of Amine's brother, Bachir, who had disputes with Amine about the military leadership, such as uniting the Christian militias by force. In 1982 Bachir was elected to presidency but was assassinated before taking office.