 Throughout his rule , Aqil remained at least nominally in service to the Ottoman Empire , which paid him for protecting the roads of northern Palestine from Bedouin raids and for maintaining the security of this region . He also exacted his own tolls on the local population in return for ensuring their security . His friendly ties with the European governments were partially due to his protection of the local Christian and Jewish communities in Galilee , including his protection of Nazareth from the 1860 massacres that occurred in Ottoman Syria . Aqil 's relationship with the authorities was generally tense and he rebelled directly or indirectly against their local representatives . As a consequence of this frayed relationship , Aqil 's employment would frequently be terminated when his activities or influence perturbed the authorities and then reinstated when his services were needed . By the time of his death , his influence had declined significantly . He was buried in his Galilee stronghold of I 'billin . 
