Hussein I

I

Introduction

Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan (1952-1999), a champion of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and a major figure in recent Middle Eastern history.

II

Early Life

Born in Amman, Hussein ibn Talal was a member of the Hashemite dynasty, an Arabian family that traces its roots to the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam. Hussein was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria, Egypt; the Harrow School in London, England; and the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England. At the age of 15, Hussein was introduced to the turbulent world of Middle Eastern politics when he witnessed the assassination of his grandfather and predecessor as king, Abdullah ibn Hussein, in Jerusalem in 1951. Hussein's father, Talal bin Abdullah, who suffered from schizophrenia, succeeded Abdullah. In August 1952 Talal was declared unfit to rule, and 16-year-old Hussein was named king. A regency council ruled on his behalf until 1953, when Hussein reached 18 years of age and was formally crowned king.

III

King of Jordan

From the outset, Hussein faced many challenges to his rule. Jordan (known as Transjordan before 1949) was created by the British after World War I (1914-1918) to reward the Hashemites for supporting Britain against the Ottoman Empire. Because their dynasty had originated outside of Jordan and their authority to rule Jordan had been granted by a foreign power, the country’s Hashemite rulers did not enjoy the complete support of their subjects. In addition, tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees had fled to Jordan in the late 1940s and the 1950s following the war between the newly declared state of Israel and neighboring Arab nations (see Arab-Israeli Conflict). During the war, Transjordanian forces had captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Jordan annexed these areas the following year and granted Jordanian citizenship to their inhabitants. West Bank Palestinians, along with the Palestinian refugees from Israel, often came into conflict with the Jordanian government. Furthermore, Jordan was a small country surrounded by much more powerful states, with a poor economy and few natural resources.

Nevertheless, the young king soon surprised his many doubters, surviving numerous assassination attempts and using his considerable diplomatic and political skills to lead Jordan through many crises. Hussein’s moderate, pro-Western political views often came under attack from more radical and nationalist Arab leaders such as Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and Syrian president Hafez al-Assad. Much of Jordan’s population, especially the Palestinians, called for policies more in line with the other Arab nations. Hussein initially bowed to popular pressure, curtailing his country's relationship with Britain and permitting free elections in which more radical parties could gain a political voice. However, in 1957 Hussein dismissed the elected government, led by a pro-Nasser prime minister, which he believed was trying to abolish the monarchy. This move strained Jordan's relations with Egypt.

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Rising tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors led Hussein to restore relations with Egypt in 1964, and in May 1967 the two countries signed a defense pact. When Israel launched a preemptive attack against Egypt and other Arab states in June of that year (a conflict known as the Six-Day War), Jordan suffered heavy losses and lost control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem to Israel. The war also resulted in a new influx of Palestinian refugees, setting the stage for further turmoil in Jordan and a new challenge to Hussein's rule.

With strong support among the refugees, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a political body working to create a state in historic Palestine for Palestinian Arabs, soon became a powerful force within Jordan. Terrorist attacks against Israel by the PLO from their bases in Jordan drew devastating Israeli reprisals on Jordan. In the early 1970s Hussein ordered his army to suppress PLO guerrilla activity in Jordan, and the PLO began calling for Hussein's ouster. Hussein cracked down, and his army eventually forced the PLO out of Jordan. Nevertheless, the Palestinian question continued to dominate Jordanian politics throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In July 1988, after months of demonstrations by Palestinians in the Israeli-held West Bank, Hussein ceded authority for the West Bank to the PLO, setting the stage for Israel to negotiate directly with the PLO. Hussein's refusal to condemn the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq helped him retain popular support within Jordan, but his neutral stance in the ensuing Persian Gulf War strained relations with the United States and some of his former Arab allies, who had formed an alliance against Iraq.

According to many observers, Hussein's greatest accomplishments were in helping achieve a 1993 peace agreement between the PLO and Israel, and a 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan that ended 46 years of hostile relations. The 1994 treaty settled long-standing disputes over land and water rights, and the countries pledged cooperation in areas such as trade and tourism. These moves toward peace led to the resumption of foreign support for Jordan. In October 1998 Hussein left the hospital where he was being treated for cancer to implore Israel and the PLO to move forward with the peace process.

Domestically, Hussein did much to improve Jordan's economy during his nearly 46 years in power. He encouraged the growth of industry, developed the country's infrastructure, and secured badly needed foreign aid. In the 1990s Hussein instituted some democratic reforms, including lifting a long-standing ban on political parties in 1991. This move allowed Jordan to hold multiparty elections in 1993, the first since 1956.

Hussein died from cancer in February 1999. Numerous foreign dignitaries attended his funeral in Amman, including leaders from Israel, the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Russia, and a delegation from Iraq. The wide array of countries represented at the funeral was a testament to the respect Hussein had earned in the international community. Shortly before his death, Hussein designated as crown prince his son Abdullah, who assumed the throne as Abdullah II.

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