Amine Gemayel

Amine Gemayel was elected President of Lebanon on September 21, 1982, just days after the assassination of his brother, Bachir Gemayel. He was seen as a moderate figure who could bridge sectarian divides, but his presidency was immediately overshadowed by the aftermath of the Sabra and Shatila massacre and the ongoing civil war.

On May 17, 1983, President Amine Gemayel signed a U.S.-brokered agreement with Israel that would have normalized relations and established a security zone in southern Lebanon. The agreement was fiercely opposed by Syria, Muslim factions, and many Christians, and it was never ratified. It collapsed under Syrian pressure, leading to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from most of Lebanon in 1985.

In February 1984, after the U.S. Marine barracks bombing and the collapse of the Lebanese Army, the Multinational Force (U.S., French, Italian, British) withdrew from Lebanon. President Gemayel's government lost control of West Beirut to Muslim militias, and the country descended further into chaos, with Gemayel's authority reduced to a Christian enclave.

Amine Gemayel's six-year term ended in September 1988, but Parliament failed to elect a successor due to sectarian deadlock. He left Lebanon for exile in France and Switzerland, returning only after the civil war ended. His presidency is remembered for his inability to end the war and the loss of state sovereignty.