King Hussein I

Source

• Born: 14 November 1935
• Birthplace: Amman, Jordan
• Died: 7 February 1999 (Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma)
• Best Known As: Stability-building Middle East ruler

Said to be a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad, Hussein was the longtime ruler of the nation of Jordan. Schooled in Egypt and at the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, the 18-year-old Hussein took the throne in 1953 following the death of his grandfather, King Abdullah. After some difficult years early in his reign, Hussein became known as a moderating force in the Middle East, with strong ties to many Arab leaders and to western nations. In 1998-99, the king spent six months in the U.S. being treated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; he succumbed to the disease in February of 1999, leaving his eldest son Abdullah II as his successor.

Hussein was an amateur ("ham") radio buff; his call sign was JY1.

(click to enlarge)
King ussein of Jordan. (credit: Gamma)

(born Nov. 14, 1935, Amman, Transjordan — died Feb. 7, 1999, Amman, Jordan) King of Jordan (1952 – 99). Educated in Britain, he succeeded his father, King Talal, while still in his teens. His country's precarious geographic and economic position and the many Palestinians living there (whom he, unlike other Arab rulers, offered citizenship and a passport) forced him to chart a cautious course in international relations. Though he carried on secret talks with all Israeli leaders except Menachem Begin, he joined other Arab nations against Israel in the Six-Day War (1967). When the Jordan-based Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) threatened his reign after defeat in that conflict, Hussein expelled it (1971). Thereafter he sought to repair relations with the PLO without unduly antagonizing Israel or the U.S. He surrendered Jordan's claim to the West Bank in 1988, ceding it to the PLO. He considered his 1994 peace treaty with Israel his crowning achievement.

For more information on Hussein, visit Britannica.com.

Hussein ibn Talal (born 1935) became at the age of 18 the king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a strategic central state in the Middle East. He was regarded in the West as a moderate Arab leader.

King Hussein, born in Amman, was the scion of the illustrious Hashemite family from which the Prophet Mohammed sprang in the sixth century. His great-grandfather Hussein ibn Ali and his grandfather Abdullah were leaders of the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The latter was also founder of the modern state of Jordan, originally called Transjordan. Hussein's early life is described as happy but the family's lifestyle was not elaborate. They lived in a modest villa in what was still an unspoiled desert kingdom.

The young Prince Hussein attended primary and secondary schools in Amman, Egypt, and England, after which he was a student at Britain's Sandhurst. At Sandhurst he learned military principles and attitudes that helped in future years with his own Jordan Arab Army, which in turn became a key to his longevity on Jordan's throne. The most important formative influence on the prince, though, was his grandfather King Abdullah, who was his tutor and guide. From him Hussein learned both respect for tradition and openness to change. Crown Prince Talal, Hussein's father, suffered from schizophrenia and the King took a special interest in his grandson Hussein, the only member of the family King Abdullah believed could rule Jordan.

When Abdullah was assassinated in the Haram al-Sharif mosque in Jerusalem in 1951 Hussein was at his side, and the memory of that event would affect his personal attitude toward danger as well as his view of the significance of Jerusalem. Following the assassination Talal, Hussein's father, was crowned king, but he was removed by the Jordanian parliament within a year due to his mental illness. After a brief regency in 1953 Hussein took the constitutional oath as king. In the 1980s he became the longest ruling head of state in the world.

"The King and country were alike - young, inexperienced, poor and uncompromising" wrote John Newhouse in the New Yorker. The young Hussein inherited a country which was extremely poor, filled with refugees, and subject to the political turmoil that was characteristic of the Middle East. Considered a pawn of the West, the young king spent the early portion of his reign just trying to survive in a time when Arab nationalism was thriving. For Jordan, the results of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war were threefold. The West Bank of the Jordan River and its Palestinian population were included in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; hundreds of thousands of refugees from other parts of Palestine found their way to Jordan; and the state of Israel was created on Jordan's western border. Within this context King Hussein faced challenges to his throne emanating from disgruntled citizens, from radical Arab nationalism and interference from neighboring Arab states, and from occasional conflicts with Israeli military forces in Jordan's West Bank. With the key support of the army, which was recruited from Jordan's tribes, and other loyal political leaders, King Hussein and his regime were able to consolidate control by the late 1950s, although they still faced periodic challenges. Despite political tumult and tensions, King Hussein's regime made strides in building up the country's social and economic infrastructure - most significantly in education, which paid off in the following decades.

The 1967-1970 period was undoubtedly the most threatening to King Hussein's rule. In 1967 King Hussein along with Egypt and Syria fought the Six Day War against Israel and was defeated. For King Hussein the defeat was a severe setback, because Jordan lost the West Bank which, despite its small size, contained half the country's people, a little less than half of the economic activity, and the important religious shrines of East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Equally important, this defeat gave rise to the Palestinian guerrilla movements. Initially they attacked the state of Israel, which would retaliate by hitting their camps in Jordan. In 1970 the guerrillas turned their attacks on the government of Jordan. At the same time a Syrian tank force threatened the country's northern border, creating a second front which Jordan's military had to defend. With diplomatic support from the United States King Hussein won on both fronts, but not without considerable death and destruction, particularly in Amman in the struggle with the Palestinian guerrillas.

From 1967 through 1973 Jordan's economy suffered greatly as a result of the fighting and punitive actions on the part of some radical Arab regimes. In the post-1974 oil boom, however, Jordan's fortunes improved significantly. Jordan's trained population and loyal military performed valuable services for the Arab petroleum producing countries for which they were well paid. The king and his brother, Crown Prince Hassan, also sought and received grants and concessional loans from the same countries. The infrastructure built in the 1950s and 1960s allowed these funds to fuel economic expansion. Not only were there rapid advances in socio-economic development in the 1970s and 1980s, but also King Hussein allowed his people personal and economic freedom in an environment of civil order. Neither of the Hashemite monarchs, however, has allowed extensive political freedom or participation. Apparently to fill this void, King Hussein recalled parliament in 1984 after a ten-year hiatus.

Another major theme during King Hussein's reign was his difficult search for peace with Israel in the context of a realization of the just rights of the Palestinians. In the aftermath of the 1967 war with Israel he was the chief Arab negotiator in the formulation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 which stipulated the principle of exchange of territory for peaceful relations with Israel as well as the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war. In 1972 the king followed up on this resolution with a proposal for a United Arab Kingdom which would be composed of East Jordan and the West Bank, the latter of which would enjoy local autonomy under the Jordanian crown.

In 1974 Hussein surrendered leadership in negotiations over the West Bank and Jerusalem to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which was recognized by the Rabat summit as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Consistent with this position, he refused to participate in the autonomy talks envisaged by the Camp David agreements of 1978, which had in fact been rejected by the PLO. But when Egypt and Israel signed a subsequent peace treaty in 1979 Jordan became the first Arab nation to cut diplomatic ties with Egypt.

President Ronald Reagan's Middle East peace initiative of 1982 was similar to a combination of Resolution 242 and the Hussein 1972 proposal. In the following years, King Hussein worked at realizing the 1982 initiative through talks and negotiations with American, Arab, and Palestinian leaders. But peace remained elusive.

In the 1991 Persian Gulf War, which was prompted by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, King Hussein remained neutral initially, but eventually supported Saddam Hussein. After Iraq's defeat, King Hussein's relations with surrounding nations and the West were strained.

In the mid 1990s Hussein relinquished his strangle hold over the government and permitted political parties to field candidates in the first multi-party elections since 1956. Another crucial change in Jordan's relations with its neighbors occurred in 1994, when Israel and Jordan ended their 46-year state of war with the signing of a peace treaty. After the signing of the historic treaty, Hussein admitted that the Six Day War of 1967 was a mistake. However, the road to peace was not smooth, especially after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's prime minister. Rabin's successors chose not to honor all of the peace accords and this caused Hussein much anger and loss of face within his own country.

King Hussein is married to his fourth wife, Queen Noor, the former Lisa Halaby, an American citizen. They had two sons and two daughters. Previously the king had seven children (plus one adoption) from three earlier marriages.

Further Reading

There are one biography and one autobiography of Hussein, respectively, Peter Snow, Hussein: A Biography (1972), and Hussein, King of Jordan, Uneasy Lies the Head (1962). A more recent, comprehensive book on Hussein's kingdom is Peter Gubser, Jordan: Crossroads of Middle Eastern Events (1983). Hassan bin Talal, Crown Prince of Jordan and brother of Hussein, wrote a perceptive book explaining the Hashemites' thinking and accomplishments which is titled Search for Peace (1984). Other noteworthy books which deal with Jordan and King Hussein are P. J. Vatikiotis, Politics and the Military in Jordan (1967); John B. Glubb, A Soldier with the Arabs (1957); and Benjamin Shwadran, Jordan: A State of Tension (1959).

1935 - 1999

King of Jordan, 1952 - 1999.

Hussein's rule indelibly stamped the fabric of socio-economic and political life in Jordan, to the point that in some people's eyes Hussein and Jordan were inseparable and almost synonymous for over four decades. Hussein ibn Talal was born in Amman on 14 November 1935, to Prince Talal ibn Abdullah and his wife, Zayn al-Sharaf. Talal was the son of Amir (Prince) Abdullah I ibn Hussein of Transjordan, and grandson of Husayn ibn Ali (Sharif) of the Hashimite family of Mecca. Hussein was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, representing the forty-second generation after the Prophet. His grandfather Abdullah started instructing the young prince in statecraft at an early age. Following then-King Abdullah's assassination in July 1951, Talal, who suffered from schizophrenia, reigned only thirteen months before being replaced by seventeen-year-old Hussein in August 1952. Only after reaching his eighteenth year (according to the Islamic calendar) in 1953 did Hussein formally begin his rule.

Despite the family's lack of worldly goods - they could not even buy him a bicycle - Hussein enjoyed a broad but abbreviated education. In Amman, he successively attended a religious school and Kulliyat al-Matran (the Bishop's School); this instruction was supplemented by special tutorials in Arabic and Islam. For his middle preparatory years, he was enrolled in the prestigious Victoria College in Alexandria, Egypt, where he broadened his world view. During this period, the Middle East and Jordan were experiencing momentous events. In 1948, when Prince Hussein was thirteen, Israel was created, and the Arab armies attacked, fighting until 1949. They were defeated, but Transjordan gained possession of the West Bank and absorbed a major
wave of Palestinian refugees. In 1950, when Prince Hussein was fifteen, the West Bank was formally joined to the Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan.

In 1951, this succession of events began to directly affect the young prince; on 20 July, King Abdullah was assassinated by a disgruntled Palestinian. While his father, Talal, temporarily ascended the throne, Prince Hussein was moved to England to join his cousin, Crown Prince Faisal II ibn Ghazi of Iraq, at Harrow, an elite school for future leaders of Britain and the British Empire. On 11 August 1952, King Talal was constitutionally removed from the Jordanian throne due to illness, and the crown was passed to his eldest son, Prince Hussein. Since he had not yet reached his majority, the young King Hussein was transferred to Sandhurst, the British military academy, while a regent ruled in Amman. In May 1953, King Hussein returned to Jordan and assumed the throne. Despite dire predictions for his political survival - the young king ruled a small country in the midst of a turbulent Middle East - he ended up ruling far longer than any other king of Jordan. By the time of his death in 1999, he had come to symbolize modern Jordan.

Hussein was married four times during his long reign. His first wife was Dina bint Abd al-Hamid (1929 - ), a distant and older cousin from Cairo. They married in April 1955 but divorced eighteen months later. In May 1961, Hussein married the daughter of a British military attachè, Antoinette Avril Gardiner (1943 - ), who assumed the name Princess Muna. This union too ended in divorce in 1972. In the following year, the king married a third time, this time to a Palestinian named Alia Baha al-Din Tuqan (1948 - 1977), from the prominent Tuqan family of Nablus. In February 1977, Queen Alia (also Aliya) died in a helicopter crash. In June 1978, the king married Elizabeth Najeeb Halaby (1951 - ), an Arab-American who became Queen Noor (also Nur). He had a number of children by his marriages. His marriage to Dina produced a daughter, Aliya (1956 - ). His two sons by Princess Muna are Abdullah (1962 - ) and Faysal (1963 - ), along with two girls, Ayisha (1968 - ) and Zayn (1968 - ). Hussein and Queen Alia produced a girl, Haya (1974 - ), and a son, Ali (1975 - ). Finally, his children with Queen Noor were two boys, Hamza (1980 - ) and Hashim (1981 - ), and two girls, Iman (1983 - ) and Rayya (1986 - ). In 1976 he also adopted a daughter with Queen Alia, Abir (1972 - ).

Hussein's rule may be divided into three major historical periods. The first twenty years were marked by crises and threats to the throne originating from inside and outside the country: street riots stimulated by radical Arab nationalism; challenges from his own prime minister in 1956 and 1957; destabilization by larger and stronger Arab states; and the devastating loss of the West Bank to Israel in the Arab - Israel War of June 1967. Soon after, in 1970, the Palestinian guerrilla organizations challenged Jordan in a bloody civil war known as Black September. Nonetheless, while relying on his loyal military to survive, the king helped put in place the bases for development.

The second phase, starting after the Arab - Israel War of October 1973, is distinguished by quieter internal political conditions, more rapid development fueled by funds (direct grants, loans, individual remittances) derived from the petroleum boom in neighboring states, and improved relations with most of Jordan's Arab neighbors. It was a relatively less radical, regional atmosphere. Despite his problems with the Palestinians and his frequently strained relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and its leader, Yasir Arafat, the king came to be a respected leader in most Arab capitals. Indeed, he hosted two Arab summits - 1980 and 1987 - in Jordan.

The third phase is dominated by the end of the Cold War and the alteration of regional relationships. In a sense, Hussein's historical July 1988 decision to disengage Jordan politically and administratively
from the West Bank, in response to the pressures from the first Palestinian Intifada (uprising) that started in 1987 and the clear lack of Palestinian support for continued Jordanian rule, was a precursor to these changes. More important was the withdrawal of the Soviet Union as an active player in the region (1989 - 1990), and the United States's dominance in areas of its perceived interests. The resulting polarization of the Arab world and the Gulf Crisis of 1990 and 1991 and ensuing war left Jordan (at the time allied politically with Saddam Hussein's Iraq) and a few other poor Arab states politically, economically, and regionally isolated. Finally, following significant anti-government protests in April 1989 in areas that comprised the "Hashimite heartland" that were so important to his rule, Hussein initiated a significant democratization process and called for the first general parliamentary elections in the country since 1967. Political parties were legalized, political exiles allowed to return, and press freedoms were expanded. Leaders from all political streams wrote a national charter, which defined the general principles for the country's political life. A special general congress made up of 2,000 representatives ratified the document on 9 June 1991.

A long-term trend in the king's rule was his moderation and centrism. After times of internal threat to the regime, he did not execute the challengers. Some were sent to prison or exiled, but in time many were brought back and given positions of some authority. Nor did Hussein follow radical or overly conservative social, economic, or cultural policies. His relations with the Arab world follow a similar pattern. As the leader of a small state, Hussein followed a strategic policy for the survival of his country by consistently trying to maintain acceptable ties with some of the strong Arab states; this policy has not always met with success as, for example, during the post - Gulf War period, when his Iraq policy was considered ill advised. Throughout his rule, Hussein was resolutely pro-Western, even when that stance cost him dearly. Finally, he was long convinced of the need to reach a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Israel. Drawing upon a history of good Hashimite relations with Zionist and Israeli leaders, and as a result of the disastrous loss of the West Bank in the 1967 Arab - Israeli war, Hussein tried to keep Jordan out of the ongoing Arab struggle against Israel. Jordan became the second Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, in October 1994. Throughout the mid and late 1990s, Hussein remained involved in the faltering yet ongoing peace process between Israel and the PLO. He even left his cancer treatment in the United States (see below) in October 1998 to participate in the Wye River conference convened by U.S. president Bill Clinton.

Hussein took one of the most dramatic political moves in his long reign literally just two weeks before he died. A heavy smoker, Hussein was diagnosed with renal cell cancer (of the kidney) in August 1992. After successful surgery, he returned to Jordan the following month to a tumultuous hero's welcome. In July 1998, Hussein was again diagnosed with cancer, this time non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands. After seeking treatment in the United States on 14 July, he returned to Jordan on 19 January 1999, announcing that he had been cured. He then made a decision that stunned his country: He replaced his brother, Prince Hassan (also Hasan), with his eldest son, Abdullah II ibn Hussein, for the post as crown prince and heir apparent. Hassan (1947 - ) had been the crown prince and close confidant of the king since April 1965, yet he and Hussein eventually disagreed over who Hassan's successor should be: one of his sons, as the constitution states, or one of Hussein's own sons. This and other problems caused a rift between the two brothers, something magnified (so reports stated) by the political maneuverings of some of the royal wives. Hussein's sudden and dramatic decision was also surprising given that Abdullah was not one of the king's sons who openly had been groomed for leadership. In the early 1990s, Hussein's choice seemed to be Prince Ali, eldest son of the late Queen Alia, whereas by the late 1990s the king's attentions seemed focused on Prince Hamza, the first son born to him and the reigning Queen Noor. The move also carried significant political import both domestically and internationally, given that Abdullah had no practical political or diplomatic experience, whereas Hassan's resumè was extensive.

Hussein suffered a relapse and returned to the United States on 26 January, the day after the dramatic announcement that Abdullah was the new crown prince. When treatment failed, he flew back to Jordan in a critical state, and died on 7 February. Jordanians were devastated. His funeral was a huge diplomatic gathering attended by a host of world leaders and fellow monarchs, including U.S. president Bill Clinton, former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush, Russian president Boris Yeltsin, French president Jacques Chirac, and Prince Charles and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, among others. The funeral also brought together a host of Middle Eastern leaders, including those from countries not having diplomatic relations with one another. Among these were Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Ezer Weizman of Israel, President Hafiz al-Asad of Syria, President Husni Mubarak of Egypt, and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat. Hussein was buried at the royal palace cemetery in Amman, next to the tombs of his father and grandfather.

Bibliography

Gubser, Peter. "Hussein ibn Talal." In Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Bibliographical Dictionary, edited by Bernard Reich. Westport, CT, and New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.

Hussein, H. R. M. King. Uneasy Lies the Head: The Autobiography of His Majesty King Hussein I of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. New York and London: Heinemann, 1962.

Jureidini, Paul A., and McLaurin, R. D. Jordan: The Impact of Social Change on the Role of the Tribes. New York: Praeger, 1984.

Lunt, James. Hussein of Jordan. New York: Macmillan, 1989.

Massad, Joseph Adoni. Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.

Satloff, Robert B. The Troubles on the East Bank: Challenges to theDomestic Stability of Jordan. New York: Praeger, 1986.

— PETER GUBSER
UPDATED BY MICHAEL R. FISCHBACH

Quotes:

"We should face reality and our past mistakes in an honest, adult way. Boasting of glory does not make glory, and singing in the dark does not dispel fear."

Hussein
King of Jordan
Reign	11 August 1952 – 7 February 1999 (&0000000000000046.00000046 years, &0000000000000325.000000325 days)
Predecessor	Talal I
Successor	Abdullah II
Spouse	Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid Antoinette Avril Gardiner Alia Baha ed din Toukan Lisa Halaby
Details and adopted children Issue
Princess Alia Abdullah II of Jordan Prince Faisal Princess Aisha Princess Zein Princess Haya Prince Ali Prince Hamzah Prince Hashim Princess Iman Princess Raiyah
House	Hashemite
Father	Talal of Jordan
Mother	Zein al Sharaf Talal
Born	14 November 1935(1935-11-14) Amman, Transjordan
Died	7 February 1999 (aged 63)
Religion	Sunni Muslim

Hussein bin Talal (Arabic: حسين بن طلال‎, Ḥusayn bin Ṭalāl) (Amman, 14 November 1935 – Amman, 7 February 1999) was the King of Jordan from the abdication of his father, King Talal, in 1952, until his death. Hussein guided his country in the context of the Cold War, and through four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict, balancing the pressures of Arab nationalism and the allure of Western-style development against the stark reality of Jordan's geographic location.^[1] His commitment to democracy, civil liberties and human rights helped to make Jordan a model state for the Middle East, and the kingdom is internationally recognized for having the most exemplary human rights record in that region.^[2] He worked tirelessly and continuously throughout his life to advance the cause of peace between Jordan and Israel (which he successfully achieved in 1994), as well as between Palestinians and Israelis.

Hussein's family claims a line of descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad. "We are the family of the prophet and we are the oldest tribe in the Arab world", the king once said of his Hashemite ancestry.^[1]

Contents 1 Early life and accession 2 Reign 3 Six-Day War 4 Black September 5 The Gulf War 6 Peace with Israel 7 Summit of the Peacemakers 8 Hebron Agreement 9 The Wye accords 10 Illness 11 Death 12 Personal life 13 Books 14 See also 15 References 16 External links

Early life and accession

Hussein was born in Amman on 14 November 1935, to then Prince Talal bin Abdullah and Princess Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamil. After completing his elementary education in Amman, he was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria. He proceeded to Harrow School in England, where he befriended his cousin Faisal II of Iraq. He pursued further study at the Sandhurst.

In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was named King of Jordan

On 20 July 1951, Prince Hussein traveled to Jerusalem to perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with his grandfather, King Abdullah I. A Palestinian extremist, fearing the king might negotiate a peace with the newly created state of Israel, opened fire on Abdullah and his grandson. Abdullah was killed, but the 15-year-old Hussein survived, and turned to pursue the gunman. The assailant turned his weapon on the young prince, who was saved when the bullet was deflected by a medal on his uniform given to him by his grandfather.^[1]

In his autobiography, Uneasy Lies the Head, Hussein recalls how three days before that fateful day in Jerusalem, his grandfather turned to him and said:

“I hope you realize, my son, that one day you will have to assume responsibility. I look to you to do your very best to see that my work is not lost. I look to you to continue it in the service of our people.”^[3]

He was appointed Crown Prince of Jordan on 9 September 1951. Abdullah's eldest son, King Talal, was crowned King of Jordan, but within a year was forced to abdicate owing to his mental state (European and Arab doctors diagnosed schizophrenia).^[4] King Talal's son, Crown Prince Hussein, was proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 11 August 1952, succeeding at the age of 16; because this was under the legal age, he was enthroned a year later, on 2 May 1953.^[1]

Reign

In March 1956 Hussein established his firm authority over Jordan, and burnished his own nationalist credentials by dismissing Glubb “Pasha” as the commander of the Jordanian Army, and replacing all the British officers with Jordanians. This now mainly Bedouin army was fiercely loyal to him, not just because the monarchy and the East Bank Bedouin tribes depended upon each other but also because, in personal style, Hussein was a classic Bedouin leader.

He navigated Jordan through turbulent years and maintained Jordan's reputation as an oasis of stability. After the Six Day War, Hussein opened Jordan's borders and welcomed well over a million Palestinian refugees and almost instantly gave them Jordanian citizenship giving them free access to healthcare and an education. He heavily invested in human capital in his 40+ years as King. As a result, Jordan had the most advanced health and education systems in the Arab World. The King Hussein Medical City became the regional hub for treatment and surgery.

In 1991, together with an executive royal council, Hussein created the National Charter which reaffirmed democratic principles and lifted martial law. Opposition movements and political parties were legalized and freedom of the press was reaffirmed.

Throughout his reign Hussein was lenient in his treatment of political opponents, even those who had plotted against his person and his throne. And even though he understood that his country may have been a weak state in terms of its military and economic resources, he consistently exercised considerable political influence both through his moral authority and his subtle grasp of the hopes and fears of others. According to biographer Nigel Ashton: "Empathy was his most useful tool in regional politics."^[5]

Six-Day War

Main article: Six-Day War

In mid-1967, Jordan joined Egypt and Syria to fight Israel in the Six Day War. Jordan lost control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem and saw its military shattered, but Hussein shored up his support among the country's growing Palestinian population.^[6]

Black September

Main article: Black September

In September, 1970 Hussein ordered the forcible expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which were attempting to foment a civil war, from the country.

The Gulf War

Jordanian Royalty
Hashemite Dynasty

Abdullah I Children    King Talal I    Prince Naif    Princess Haya    Princess Munera    Princess Maqbouleh Grandchildren    Prince Asem Great Grandchildren    Princess Yasmine    Princess Sarah    Princess Noor    Princess Salha    Princess Nejla    Prince Nayef Talal Children    King Hussein I    Prince Muhammad    Prince Hassan    Princess Basma Hussein Children    Princess Alia    King Abdullah II    Prince Faisal    Princess Aisha    Princess Zein    Princess Haya    Prince Ali    Prince Hamzah    Prince Hashim    Princess Iman    Princess Raiyah Abdullah II Children    Prince Hussein    Princess Iman    Princess Salma    Prince Hashem Edit

Main article: Gulf War

The country also defied the West and the other allied leaders by refusing to side against Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War — allegedly done for internal political reasons after the Ma'an uprising in 1988 that threatened the throne of the King — which alienated the kingdom from most of the Arab world.

Peace with Israel

Main article: Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace

In 1994, Hussein concluded negotiations to end the official state of war with Israel resulting in the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace which he had begun negotiating in secret with the Israelis in the 1960s. Between 1963 — 1994 he had held at least 55 secret meetings with leading Israelis including at least seven prime and foreign ministers.^[7] At the signing of the treaty at Wadi Araba on 26 October, Hussein described the event as the beginning of:

“Mutual respect between us all, tolerance, and the coming together of people, of generations to come beyond this time, to build and achieve what is worthy of them..."^[8]

During the negotiations of the treaty Hussein developed strong ties of friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. On 6 November 1995 Hussein gave a powerful speech at the funeral of his friend:

Full text: wikisource:Hussein of Jordan's Speech at Rabin's Funeral

“My sister, Mrs. Leah Rabin, my friends, I had never thought that the moment would come like this when I would grieve the loss of a brother, a colleague and a friend — a man, a soldier who met us on the opposite side of a divide whom we respected as he respected us. A man I came to know because I realized, as he did, that we have to cross over the divide, establish a dialogue, get to know each other and strive to leave for those who follow us a legacy that is worthy of them. And so we did. And so we became brethren and friends... And as I stand here, I am obliged to you, to my people in Jordan and to the world, to keep on doing the utmost to guarantee that we leave behind a similar inheritance.“^[9]

Summit of the Peacemakers

On 13 March 1996 the “Summit of the Peacemakers” was held at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Besides Hussein, those who attened included such dignitaries as Turkish President Suleiman Demirel, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, US President Bill Clinton, and Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The summit was convened in order to put the Palestinian-Israeli peace process back on track after a spate of suicide bombings in Israel. In his address to the gathering, Hussein stressed that those who use religious justifications for terrorist acts have tarnished the image of Islam, which is a religion of peace, tolerance and dialogue. Hussein also said that a dual approach must be used in the fight against terrorism. Sources of funding, training and operations must be cut off, and media coverage must not encourage terrorism. He added that States in the Middle East and throughout the world must eliminate those sources of despair that drive persons to perform such horrible actions, stating:

“We must shoulder our responsibilities and work together to protect the dignity of human beings, whoever and wherever they may be.”

Hebron Agreement

Main article: Hebron Agreement

While refusing to negotiate on behalf of either the Palestinians or the Israelis, Hussein would offer ideas to bridge the gaps between the two parties. For instance, his 11th-hour intervention in January 1997 brought Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to an agreement on the long-awaited withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of the West Bank town of Hebron.

The Wye accords

Main article: Wye River Memorandum

In 1997 when U.S. President Bill Clinton needed some prestigious heft to break the deadlock at the Wye Plantation talks, he invited Hussein, who was in the US undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer, to attend. Hussein received a standing ovation at the ceremony and praise from Clinton who said:

“The Jordanian Monarch was at the heart of the diplomatic breakthrough. His courage, commitment, wisdom and, frankly, stern instruction at certain times, were at the heart of this success. Every time he was in the room, he made us all become a little closer to the people we all would like to see ourselves as being.”

Though the agreement hashed out at Wye followed the usual, complex course of mid-eastern affairs, Hussein’s input at the conference helped to sway the participants to at least begin to agree.

Illness

At the end of July 1998 Hussein made public a letter to his brother, Crown Prince Hassan, divulging that his doctors at the Mayo Clinic thought he had lymphatic cancer. By the beginning of August they had confirmed it. Hussein's lymphoma was of a type that responded to chemotherapy, which the King had already begun and his physicians were optimistic he could be cured. Speaking on Jordanian television via satellite, Hussein told his people, "Rest assured, I am not over and done with." Nevertheless, he looked fragile and pale. It was the 62-year-old monarch's second bout with cancer; he lost a kidney to the disease in 1992.

On his way back to Jordan in January 1999, Hussein stopped in London^[10]. Doctors advised him to rest and stay in England for a few weeks, as he was still too fragile to travel. The King declined. According to sources present, he stated that,

“I need very much to feel the warmth of my people around me, there is work to be done and I will get the strength from my people to finish the business.“^[11]

Piloting his own aircraft^{[12] [13]}as he did hundreds of times, he touched down into Marka military airport, where he was greeted by Royal family members, ministers, parliament members, and Arab and foreign dignitaries. Upon landing, Hussein prayed on the tarmac and insisted, again against doctors advice, on riding in an open white limousine as motorcade passed through downtown Amman, straight to his new home in Al Hummar.^[14] It was a long journey in the pouring rain, and the king stood bravely greeting an estimated 2 million of his 4.6 million subjects who braved the elements and came out to greet their beloved monarch.^[15]

Death

Just before his death, Hussein made a constitutionally allowable change to his will, disinheriting the heir-apparent of several decades, his brother Hassan, in favor of his eldest son Abdullah. Then, with a recurrent fever, he abruptly returned to the U.S. clinic on 25 January 1999 for further treatment. He underwent a bone marrow transplant earlier that week, but the transplant failed, and the king returned home to die.

On 7 February 1999 King Hussein died of complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was, at the time of his death, one of the longest-serving leaders in international politics.^[1] He had been the King of Jordan for over 46 years and in that time was plagued by a single problem that overshadowed every other in his political life: Peace in the Middle East. Sadly, he did not live to see its resolution even though he is remembered as one whose efforts helped his neighbors, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to live in the peace that eluded him most of his life. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in January 1999, Hussein stated:

“I still feel that those of us who work for peace and believe in peace have a very, very loud voice, and hopefully, wisdom and common sense will prevail.“^[16]

On 8 February the flag-draped coffin carrying the body of the King left his home which he called the "Door of Peace" Palace after the peace he forged with Israel. All five of his sons were in close attendance and an honor guard of Bedouin troops accompanied the casket of the monarch on a 90-minute procession through the streets of the capital city of Amman. An estimated 800,000 Jordanians, many of them weeping, braved icy winds to say farewell to their leader.^[17] The funeral was attended by many dignitaries and statesmen from around the world.^[18] That same day the UN General Assembly held an Emergency Special Session in "Tribute to the Memory of His Majesty the King of Jordan".^[19]

Personal life

King Hussein was married four times, although he was never married to more than one woman at the same time; his four wives were:

• Sharifa Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid (born 1929), on 18 April 1955. She was an Egyptian-born third cousin of King Hussein's father, King Talal. A graduate of Cambridge University and a former lecturer in English literature at Cairo University, the bride was 26 to the groom's 19. They separated in 1956 and were divorced in 1957, at which time Queen Dina became known as Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan. She became an Egyptian citizen in 1963, and in October 1970, Princess Dina of Jordan married Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir, alias Salah Taamari, a Palestinian guerrilla commando who became a high-ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization.
  • Daughter: H.R.H.Princess Alia bint Al Hussein (born 1956). Married first to Sayyid Nasser Mirza, they have one child together, a son Hussein. They divorced in 1987. She remarried in 1988 to Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh; they have two sons, Talal and Abdul.
• Antoinette Avril Gardiner ('Toni Gardiner'), (born 1941), on 25 May 1961, styled HRH Princess Muna al-Hussein from marriage. An award-winning field hockey player, former typist, and daughter of a British army officer turned innkeeper, Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Percy Gardiner, she was given the title Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein and retained this title after they divorced on 21 December 1971.
  • Children:
    • His Majesty Abdullah II, King of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (born 1962). The current King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Married to Rania Al-Yassin. They have four children: Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.
    • His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin al-Hussein of Jordan born 1963). Lieutenant-General, former Commander of Royal Jordanian Air Force. Married to Alia Tabaa (now known as Her Royal Highness Princess Alia al-Faisal). They have four children: Princess Ayah, Prince Omar, and twins Princess Sara and Princess Aisha.
    • Her Royal Highness Princess Aisha bint Hussein (born 1968). Brigadier-General of Jordan's Royal Jordanian Land Force. Married to Sayyid Zeid Juma, they have two children, a son Aoun and a daughter Muna.
    • Her Royal Highness Princess Zein bint Hussein (born 1968, Aisha's twin). Married to Sayyid Majdi Al-Saleh, they have two children: a son Jaafar and a daughter Jumana, and an adopted daughter called Tahani Al Shawan.
• Alia Baha el-Din Toukan H.M. Queen Alia al-Hussein (1948–1977), on 24 December 1972, after whom Jordan's international airport (Queen Alia International Airport) is named. She died in a helicopter crash in Amman, Jordan in 1977.
  • Children:
    • Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Hussein (born 1974). Married to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and has a daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila.
    • His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan (born 1975). Married to Rym Brahimi now known as Her Royal Highness Princess Rym al-Ali. They have two children, Princess Jalilah and Prince Abdullah.
    • Adopted daughter: Abir Muhaisen, (born 1972, adopted 1976). She attended Oldfields Prep School in Glencoe, Maryland, U.S.(boarding school).
• Lisa Najeeb Halaby, (renamed Queen Noor al Hussein on her conversion to Islam), married in Amman on 15 June 1978
  • Children:
    • His Royal Highness Prince Hamzah bin al Hussein of Jordan (born 1980). Married to Her Royal Highness Princess Noor bint Asem of Jordan, third daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Asem Abu Bakar of Jordan, by his first wife, Princess Firouzeh Vokhshouri. Princess Noor became Her Royal Highness Princess Noor Hamzah of Jordan upon her marriage. They have a daughter, Princess Hayah
    • His Royal Highness Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein of Jordan (born 1981). Married to Her Royal Highness Princess Fahdah. They have two daughters: Princess Halaah and Princess Rayet Al Noor.
    • Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Hussein (born 1983).
    • Her Royal Highness Princess Raiyah bint Hussein (born 1986).

King Hussein was an avid amateur radio operator (callsign JY1) and throughout his reign could often be found talking directly to other people around the world. An accomplished aircraft pilot, he also loved to fly airplanes (prop and jet), as well as helicopters.

King Hussein was succeeded as king by his eldest son Abdullah II of Jordan.

Books

The king wrote three books:

• Uneasy Lies the Head London: William Heinemann Ltd. (1962)
• My "War" with Israel London: Peter Owen. (1969) ISBN 0-7206-0310-2
• Mon Métier de Roi. Paris: R. Laffont (1975)

See also

• Hashemite
• Jordan
• Jordanian military ranks
• King Abdullah II

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "King Hussein is dead". CNN. 1999-02-07. http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/07/king.hussein.obit/. 
2. ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4673
3. ^ Hussein of Jordan, HM King. Uneasy Lies the Head. London: Heinemann, 1962
4. ^ Royalty.nu - Royalty in Jordan - The Life of King Hussein
5. ^ "King Hussein of Jordan: A Political Life" by Nigel Ashton. Yale University Press (2008)
6. ^ CNN - Highlights of King Hussein's life
7. ^ (The Economist, 11/24/07, p.88)
8. ^ http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/speeches_letters.html
9. ^ Transcript from CNN life coverage by Daniel Pipes
10. ^ http://www.jordanembassyus.org/011699001.htm
11. ^ Mideastnews.com; 8 February 1999
12. ^ http://www.jordanembassyus.org/011999001.htm
13. ^ http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hussein_I_of_Jordan
14. ^ http://www.jordanembassyus.org/011699001.htm
15. ^ http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/07/king.hussein.obit/chrono/chrono.html
16. ^ CNN/Time “Newsstand” Interviewer: Christiane Amanpour. 24 January 1999
17. ^ PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, 1999 Online NewsHour
18. ^ Geocities.com
19. ^ U.N. Tribute to the Memory of His Majesty King Hussein Ibn Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 8 February 1999

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: King Hussein

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hussein I of Jordan

• Ancestry of Antoinette Avril Gardiner (b. 1941)
• Some ancestors of Lisa Halaby, Queen Noor of Jordan
• Obituary, NY Times, February 8, 1999 Death of a King; Cautious King Took Risks In Straddling Two Worlds
• A Living Tribute to the Legacy of King Hussein I - official Royal Jordanian memorial website
• Slide Show - Personal Tribute Page

Regnal titles
Preceded by Talal	Hashemite King of Jordan 1952–1999	Succeeded by Abdullah II

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