King Hussein of Jordan
1935 - 1999
King Hussein of Jordan died Sunday, February 7th, 1999,
at 63, after over four tumultuous decades on the throne.
He was the Middle East's longest-reigning ruler, combining
Western thought and Arab roots.
Among his accomplishments were peace with his neighbors,
including Israel, and a fairly tolerant, stable society
at home. King Hussein spent the final months of his life
working relentlessly for peace and a succession that he
hoped would insure both his immediate family's control of
the throne and political stability in Jordan. Though weak
from chemotherapy, he attended the summit talks in Wye,
Maryland, to help President Clinton convince Israeli and
Palestinian negotiators to conclude the next phase of
their peace accord.
Saying there had been "enough destruction, enough death,
enough waste" during the five decades of Arab-Israeli
conflict, he pleaded for accommodation. "We have no right
to dictate through irresponsible action or narrow-mindedness
the future of our children or their children's children,"
the King said.
In July 1994, standing on the White House lawn beside Prime
Minister Rabin of Israel, King Hussein initialed an accord
that technically ended the state of war between the two
nations. And three months later, in an emotional ceremony
in his own land, he became the third Arab leader to sign a
formal peace treaty with Israel. He called this his reign's
"crowning achievement."
This peace came about on Oct. 26, 1994, in another stirring
ceremony witnessed by President Clinton at Wadi Arava, a
barren strip of desert between Jordan and Israel. "I have
at last carried out the will of King Abdullah," he declared,
referring to his grandfather. "This is without a doubt my
proudest accomplishment: leaving my people a legacy of
peace," the King said in an interview in Nadwa Palace
in Amman shortly before the ceremony.
In his more than 46 years on the throne, King Hussein had
4 wives, fathered 11 children and adopted a 12th. He was
married for the last time in 1978, to an American, Lisa
Halaby, the daughter of Najeeb E. Halaby, a Texan who was
head of Pan American World Airways and the Federal Aviation
Administration and whose family came from Aleppo, Syria. She
is known as Queen Noor, meaning Light in Arabic. They have
four children, sons Hamzah and Hashem, and daughters Iman
and Rayah.
King Hassan II of Morocco
