Kazem al-Khalil
It was reportedly a branch of the Zayn family in Nabatieh, which has been one of the main dynasties in Jabal Amel (modern-day Southern Lebanon),[3] and connected to another feudal clan, the Sidon-based Osseirans, by marriage.
[2] Their arrival in Tyre was apparently welcomed at first:"According to one source, they were supported by the ulama in their climb to prominence in an effort to undermine the unpopular dominance of the Sunni al-Mamluk family of that city.
"[4]The 1908 Young Turk Revolution and its call for elections to an Ottoman parliament triggered a power-struggle in Jabal Amel: on the one hand side Rida al-Sulh of a Sunni dynasty from Sidon, which had sidelined the Shia Al-As'ad clan of the Ali al-Saghir dynasty (see above) in the coastal region with support from leading Shiite families like the al-Khalil clan in Tyre.
[7] In the following years, the Mandatory regime gave Shiite feudal families like al-As'ad and al-Khalil "a free hand in enlarging their personal fortunes and reinforcing their clannish powers.
After the death of his father Ismail Al-Khalil, Kazem entered the political arena and was elected as deputy (member of the Lebanese parliament) for the first time in 1937.
His political activity was linked to his family ties, as he was married to the daughter of Ibrahim Haidar, the Shi'te Za'im from the Biqa' and father-in-law of 'Adil Osseyran.
When Al-Khalil ran in the election of 1937, he conditioned his pro-French stance on the agreement of the Mandatory government to add Ibrahim Haydar to his list.
While Asaad rose to the position of Speaker of the Parliament from 1951 until 1953, al-Khalil became secretary-general of the National Liberal Party led by Camille Chamoun, the second President of the Republic.
[5] Then, after the formation of the United Arab Republic (UAR) under Gamal Abdel Nasser in February 1958, tensions escalated in Tyre between the forces of Chamoun and supporters of Pan-Arabism.
[13] Subsequently, opposition leaders like Rashid Karami expressed support for the people of Tyre, and the neighbouring city of Sidon/Saida joined the strike.
[11] A US-Diplomat, who travelled the region shortly afterwards, reported though that the clashes were more related to the personal feud between al-Asaad and al-Khalil than to national politics.
[15] According to a general delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who visited in late July, "heavy fighting went on for 16 days".
[5] Despite the victory of the al-As'ad dynasty, who had played an important role in Jabal Amel for almost three centuries, its power began to crumble at the same time as al-Khalil's with the arrival of a newcomer: After Imam Sharafeddin's death in 1957, his son Sayed Jafar Sharafeddin and other representatives of the Shia community of Southern Lebanon asked his relative Sayed Musa Sadr to be his successor as Imam.
[20] "His political activity became anti-establishment until he was suspected of being involved in a coup attempt in late December 1961, for which the Syrian Nationalist Party was responsible.
[28] They declared the founding of the "People's Republic of Tyre",[29] occupied the army barracks, set up roadblocks and started collecting customs at the port.
[25] In the 1992 general election, one of Kazem's sons - Nasir Al Khalil - was restrained to succeed his father as MP because of an assassination attempt from the Amal Movement where he nearly lost his life.
Likewise, the traditional rival Kamil al-As'ad from the feudal dynasty of Ali al-Saghir lost with his candidacy against Amal politicians.
[38] The event was created by Maha's daughter Périhane Chalabi Cochin, a French TV host, who is more commonly known as Péri Cochi.
It includes the AIST[40] and al-Khalil Chalabi's Fondation Tyr, which is based in the prestigious Avenue Foch in Paris, one of the most expensive addresses in the world.
