 For nearly two decades Aqil had been a major local power in northern Palestine . He asserted to other tribal sheikhs that the land they roamed in belonged to the Arabs and that one day they would take it back from the Turkish Ottoman " conquerors " . According to Finn , Aqil may have ultimately envisioned forming an Arab confederation in the southern Levant independent of the Ottomans and backed by France . However , despite these perceived intentions , Aqil ruled under the auspices of the Ottoman authorities , was paid by them , and was at least partially dependent upon their support . His ties with France and Europe contributed to his power , but he lacked the necessary support from these countries to pursue any desire of independence that he had . Aqil 's death marked the removal of " the last obstacle to the implementation of full centralized Ottoman rule " in northern Palestine , according to historian Mahmoud <unk> . When full Ottoman centralization in the Galilee was realized , local powers permanently lost their influence over the region 's development . That power was instead passed on to wealthy businessmen from Haifa and Beirut , ultimately leaving the Sursock family of Beirut as the new " masters " of the Galilee , according to anthropologist Alexander Schölch . 
