View source for Hussein of Jordan

{{short description|King of Jordan from 1952 to 1999}}
{{redirect|King Hussein|his great-grandfather and the ruler of Mecca|Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz}}
{{For|the current crown prince of Jordan and grandson of King Hussein|Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Hussein bin Talal<br/>{{nobold|الحسين بن طلال}}
| image        = HusseinJordanien.jpg
| caption      =King Hussein in 1997
| succession   = [[King of Jordan]]
| reign        = 11 August 1952&nbsp;– {{nowrap|7 February 1999}}
| coronation   = 2 May 1953
| cor-type     = Regency ended
| predecessor  = [[Talal of Jordan|Talal]]
| successor    = [[Abdullah II]]
| reg-type     = {{nowrap|[[List of prime ministers of Jordan|Prime ministers]]}}
| regent       = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|''See list''}}|[[Fawzi Al-Mulki]]|[[Tawfik Abu Al-Huda]]|[[Sa`id Al-Mufti]]|[[Hazza' Majali]]|[[Ibrahim Hashem]]|[[Samir Al-Rifai]]|[[Suleiman Nabulsi]]|[[Husayn Al-Khalidi]]|[[Bahjat Talhouni]]|[[Wasfi Tal]]|[[Hussein ibn Nasser]]|[[Saad Jumaa]]|[[Abdelmunim Al-Rifai]]|[[Mohammad Al-Abbasi]]|[[Ahmad Toukan]]|[[Ahmad Lozi]]|[[Zaid Al-Rifai]]|[[Mudar Badran]]|[[Abdelhamid Sharaf]]|[[Kassim Al-Rimawi]]|[[Ahmad Obeidat]]|[[Zaid ibn Shaker]]|[[Taher Al-Masri]]|[[Abdelsalam Al-Majali]]|[[Abdul Karim Al-Kabariti]]|[[Fayez Tarawneh]]}}
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1935|11|14|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Amman]], [[Emirate of Transjordan|Transjordan]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1999|2|7|1935|11|14|df=y}}
| death_place  = Amman, Jordan
| burial_date  = 8 February 1999
| burial_place = [[Raghadan Palace]]
| full name    = Hussein bin Talal bin Abdullah bin Hussein
| spouses      = {{ubl|{{marriage|[[Dina bint Abdul-Hamid]]|1955|1957|reason=div}}|{{marriage|[[Toni Gardiner]]|1961|1972|reason=div}} |{{marriage|[[Alia Toukan]]|1972|1977|end=d.}}|{{marriage|[[Lisa Halaby]]|1978}}}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Princess Alia bint Hussein|Princess Alia]]
* [[Abdullah II]]
* [[Prince Faisal bin Hussein|Prince Faisal]]
* [[Princess Aisha bint Hussein|Princess Aisha]]
* [[Princess Zein bint Hussein|Princess Zein]]
* [[Princess Haya bint Hussein|Princess Haya]]
* [[Prince Ali bin Hussein|Prince Ali]]
* [[Abir Muhaisen]] (adopted)
* [[Hamzah bin Hussein|Prince Hamzah]]
* [[Prince Hashim bin Hussein|Prince Hashim]]
* [[Princess Iman bint Hussein|Princess Iman]]
* [[Princess Raiyah bint Hussein|Princess Raiyah]]}}
| issue-link   = #Personal life
| issue-pipe   = Details
| house        = [[Hashemite]]
| father       = [[Talal of Jordan]]
| mother       = [[Zein al-Sharaf]]
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam in Jordan|Sunni Islam]]
| signature    = Signature of Hussein I.svg
| module       = {{Infobox military person | embed=yes
  | branch        = [[Jordanian Army]]<br>[[Jordanian Navy]]<br>[[Jordanian Air Force]]
  | serviceyears  = 1952–1999
  | rank          = [[Jordanian military ranks|Field marshal]]
  }}
}}

'''Hussein bin Talal al-Hashimi''' (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was [[King of Jordan]] from 1952 until [[Death and state funeral of Hussein of Jordan|his death]] in 1999. A member of the [[House of Hashim]], he is regarded as a [[Hashemites family tree|40th-generation]] [[Sayyid|direct descendant]] of the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]].

Hussein was born in [[Amman]] as the eldest child of [[Talal bin Abdullah]] and [[Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamil]]. Talal was at that time the heir to his own father, [[King Abdullah I]]. Hussein began his schooling in Amman, continuing his education abroad. After Talal became king in 1951, Hussein was named [[heir apparent]]. The [[Jordanian Parliament]] forced Talal to [[abdicate]] a year later due to his illness, and a [[regency council]] was appointed until Hussein came of age. He was enthroned at the age of 17 in 1953. Hussein was married four separate times and fathered eleven children.

Hussein, a [[constitutional monarch]], started his rule by allowing the formation of the [[Suleiman Nabulsi's cabinet|only democratically elected]] government in Jordan's history in [[1956 Jordanian general election|1956]], which he [[1957 alleged Jordanian military coup attempt|forced to resign]] a few months later, declaring [[martial law]] and banning political parties. Under Hussein, Jordan fought three wars with [[Israel]], including the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], which ended in Jordan's loss of the [[West Bank]]. In 1970, Hussein expelled [[Palestinian fedayeen|Palestinian militants]]<ref name=Gilbertp58>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cT16EWF9I4cC&q=fedayeen+israel&pg=PA58|title=The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict| author=[[Martin Gilbert]]| publisher=Routledge| year=2005| page=58|isbn=978-0-415-35901-6}}</ref> from Jordan in what became known as [[Black September]]. The King [[Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank|renounced Jordan's ties]] to the West Bank in 1988 after the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] was recognized internationally as the sole representative of the Palestinians. He lifted martial law and reintroduced [[Elections in Jordan|elections]] in [[1989 Jordanian general election|1989]] when [[1989 Jordanian protests|riots over price hikes]] spread in southern Jordan. In 1994 he became the second Arab head of state to sign [[Israel–Jordan peace treaty|a peace treaty with Israel]].

At the time of Hussein's accession in 1953, Jordan was a young nation and [[Jordanian annexation of the West Bank|controlled]] the [[West Bank]]. The country had few natural resources, and a large Palestinian refugee population as a result of the [[1948 Palestine War]]. Hussein led his country through four turbulent decades of the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] and the [[Cold War]], successfully balancing pressures from [[Arab nationalists]], [[Islamists]], the [[Soviet Union]], [[Western countries]], and Israel, transforming Jordan by the end of his 46-year reign into a stable modern state. After 1967 he engaged in efforts to solve the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]. He acted as a conciliatory intermediate between various Middle Eastern rivals, and came to be seen as the region's peacemaker. He was revered for pardoning political dissidents and opponents, and giving them senior posts in the government. Hussein, who survived dozens of assassination attempts and plots to overthrow him, was the region's longest-reigning leader. He died at the age of 63 from cancer in 1999 and was succeeded by his eldest son, [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah II]].

==Early life==
[[File:Six years Hussien with Mother (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Hussein (age six) and his mother, [[Zein al-Sharaf]], 1941]]
Hussein was born at Al-Qasr Al-Sagheer at [[Raghadan Palace]] in [[Amman]] on 14 November 1935 to Crown Prince [[Talal of Jordan|Talal]] and Princess [[Zein al-Sharaf]].<ref name="khbiwa">{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/king-hussein-bin-talal|title=Biography – King Hussein bin Talal|access-date=4 April 2021|publisher=jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Royal Palaces |url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/royal_palaces.html |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=www.kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref> He was the eldest among his siblings, three brothers and two sisters{{snd}}Princess Asma, [[Prince Muhammad bin Talal|Prince Muhammad]], [[Prince Hassan bin Talal|Prince Hassan]], Prince Muhsin, and [[Princess Basma bint Talal|Princess Basma]].<ref name="nytkhdo">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Judith |date=8 February 1999 |title=Death of a King; Cautious King Took Risks in Straddling Two Worlds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/08/world/death-of-a-king-cautious-king-took-risks-in-straddling-two-worlds.html |access-date=2 July 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> During one cold Ammani winter, his baby sister Asma died from [[pneumonia]], an indication of how poor his family was then{{snd}}they could not afford heating in their house.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=201}}

Hussein was the [[namesake]] of his paternal great-grandfather, [[Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca|Hussein bin Ali]] ([[Sharif of Mecca]]), the leader of the 1916 [[Arab Revolt]] against the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/kingdom-remembers-sharif-hussein-bin-ali|title=Kingdom remembers Sharif Hussein Bin Ali|date=3 June 2017|access-date=1 July 2017|work=The Jordan Times}}</ref> Hussein claimed to be an [[Patrilineality|agnatic]] descendant of [[Muhammad]]'s daughter [[Fatimah]] and her husband [[Ali]], the [[Rashidun Caliphate|fourth caliph]], since Hussein belonged to the [[Hashemite]] family, which had ruled [[Mecca]] for over 700 years{{snd}}until its [[Saudi conquest of Hejaz|1925 conquest]] by the [[House of Saud]]{{snd}}and has ruled [[Jordan]] since 1921.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=2}}<ref name="CNN1">{{cite news |title=King Hussein is dead |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/07/king.hussein.obit/|publisher=CNN |date=7 February 1999 |access-date=1 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Corboz |first=Elvire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BOkKngEACAAJ |title=Guardians of Shi'ism: Sacred Authority and Transnational Family Networks |date=2015 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-9144-9 |page=271'/}}</ref> The Hashemites, the oldest ruling dynasty in the [[Muslim world]], are the second-oldest-ruling dynasty in the world (after the [[Imperial House of Japan]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://themuslim500.com/profile/king-abdullah-ii-jordan|title=Profile: King Abdullah II of Jordan|work=themuslim500.com|access-date=30 June 2017|date=1 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218105901/http://themuslim500.com/profile/king-abdullah-ii-jordan|archive-date=18 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hussein's maternal grandmother, Widjan Hanim, was the daughter of Shakir Pasha who was the Ottoman governor of Cyprus.<ref>{{citation|year=2015|title=Jordan remembers Queen Zein|work=Jordan Times |url=http://jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-remembers-queen-zein-2|quote=Queen Zein was born on August 2, 1916, the daughter of Sharif Jamil Bin Nasser, governor of Huran and nephew of Sharif Hussein Bin Ali of Mecca, and Wijdan Hanim, daughter of Shakir Pasha, governor of Cyprus.|publisher=[[Jordan Times]]|access-date=6 September 2017}}</ref>
[[File:King Abdullah on Jordan Independence day, 25 May 1946.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein (age eleven) seen behind his grandfather [[Abdullah I of Jordan|King Abdullah I]] after the independence of Jordan was declared, 25 May 1946.]]
The young prince started his elementary education in Amman. He was then educated at [[Victoria College, Alexandria|Victoria College]] in [[Alexandria]], Egypt.<ref name="khbiwa"/> He proceeded to [[Harrow School]] in England, where he befriended his paternal second cousin [[Faisal II of Iraq]], who was also studying there.<ref name="khbiwa"/> Faisal was then King of [[Kingdom of Iraq|Hashemite Iraq]], but was [[Regent|under regency]] since he was still a minor.<ref name="khbiwa"/>

Hussein's grandfather, [[King Abdullah I]], the founder of modern Jordan, did not see in his two sons Talal and [[Prince Nayef bin Abdullah|Nayef]] potential for kingship, and therefore he focused his efforts on the upbringing of his grandson Hussein.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|pp=44–45}} A special relationship grew between the two. Abdullah assigned Hussein a private tutor for extra Arabic lessons,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|pp=44–45}} and Hussein acted as interpreter for his grandfather during his meetings with foreign leaders, as Abdullah understood English but could not speak it.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|pp=44–45}} On 20 July 1951, 15-year-old Prince Hussein travelled to [[Jerusalem]] to perform [[Friday prayers]] at the [[Temple Mount|Masjid Al-Aqsa]] with his grandfather.<ref name="khbiwa"/> A Palestinian assassin opened fire on Abdullah and his grandson, amid rumours that the King had been planning to sign a peace treaty with the newly established state of Israel.<ref name="CNN1"/> Abdullah died, but Hussein survived the assassination attempt and, according to witnesses, pursued the assassin.<ref name="CNN1"/> Hussein was also shot, but the bullet was deflected by a medal on his uniform that his grandfather had given him.<ref name="CNN1"/>

==Reign==
===Accession===
Abdullah's eldest son, Talal, was proclaimed [[King of Jordan]].<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Talal appointed his son Hussein as crown prince on 9 September 1951.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> After a reign lasting less than thirteen months, the [[Parliament of Jordan|Parliament]] forced King Talal to [[abdicate]] due to his mental state{{snd}}doctors had diagnosed [[schizophrenia]].<ref name="ttkhkf"/> In his brief reign, Talal had introduced a modern, somewhat liberal [[Constitution of Jordan|constitution]] in 1952 that is still in use today.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Hussein was proclaimed king on 11 August 1952, succeeding to the throne three months before his 17th birthday.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> A telegram from Jordan was brought in to Hussein while he was staying with his mother abroad in [[Lausanne]], Switzerland, addressed to 'His Majesty King Hussein'.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> "I did not need to open it to know that my days as a schoolboy were over," Hussein later wrote in his memoirs.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> He returned home to cheering crowds.<ref name="ttkhkf"/>

A three-man regency council made up of the prime minister and heads of the [[Jordanian Senate|Senate]] and the [[Jordanian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] was appointed until he became 18 (by the [[Muslim calendar]]).{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=56}} Meanwhile, Hussein pursued further study at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]].<ref name="khbiwa"/> He was enthroned on 2 May 1953, the same day that his cousin [[Faisal II of Iraq|Faisal II]] assumed his constitutional powers as king of Iraq.<ref name="ttkhkf">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/7136625/King-Hussein-of-Jordan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211142338/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/7136625/King-Hussein-of-Jordan.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 February 2010|title=King Hussein of Jordan|work=The Telegraph|access-date=1 July 2017|date=8 February 1999}}</ref>

===First years===
[[File:King Hussein in uniform in 1953.jpg|thumb|right|King Hussein in royal [[ceremonial dress]], 1953]]

The teenaged king inherited the throne not only of Jordan, but also of the [[West Bank]], captured by Jordan during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] and [[Jordanian annexation of the West Bank|annexed]] in 1950.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> The country was poor in natural resources, and had a large Palestinian refugee population resulting from the war{{snd}}the annexation of the West Bank had made Palestinians two-thirds of the population, outnumbering Jordanians.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Upon assuming the throne, he appointed [[Fawzi Mulki]] as prime minister.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Mulki's liberal policies, including freedom of the press, led to unrest as opposition groups started a propaganda campaign against the monarchy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=65}} [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] fighters ([[Palestinian fedayeen|fedayeen]], meaning self-sacrificers) used Jordanian-controlled territory to launch attacks against Israel, sometimes provoking heavy retaliation.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> One [[Reprisal operations|reprisal operation]] by Israel became known as the [[Qibya massacre]]; it resulted in the death of 66 civilians in the West Bank village of [[Qibya]].<ref name="ttkhkf"/> The incident led to protests, and in 1954 Hussein dismissed Mulki amid the unrest and appointed staunch royalist [[Tawfik Abu Al-Huda]].<ref name="ttkhkf"/> The country [[1954 Jordanian general election|held parliamentary elections]] in October 1954, while the country's parties were not yet fully organized.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Abu Al-Huda lasted only a year, and the government underwent reshuffling three times within the following year.<ref name="ttkhkf"/>

The 1955 [[Baghdad Pact]] was a Western attempt to form a Middle Eastern alliance to counter [[Soviet]] influence and [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]'s Egypt.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Jordan then found itself in the middle of [[Cold War]] tensions.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Britain, Turkey, and Iraq were members of the pact, and Jordan was pressured by Britain to join.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> [[Nasserism]] (a [[socialist]] [[Pan-Arabism|Pan-Arabist]] ideology) swept the [[Arab World]] in the 1950s, and the proposal to join the pact triggered large riots in the country.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Curfews imposed by the [[Arab Legion]] did little to alleviate the situation and tensions persisted throughout 1955.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> The local unrest, periodically fueled by propaganda transmitted from Egyptian radios, was only calmed after the King appointed a new prime minister who promised not to enter the Baghdad Pact.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Saudi Arabia found common ground with Egypt in their suspicions of the Hashemites, both in Jordan and in Iraq.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> The Saudis massed troops near [[Aqaba]] on Jordan's southern borders in January 1956, and only withdrew after the British threatened to intervene on Jordan's behalf.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Hussein realized that the Arab nationalist trend had dominated Arab politics, and decided to start downgrading Jordan's relationship with the British.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> On 1 March 1956, Hussein asserted Jordanian independence by [[Arabization of the Jordanian Army command|Arabizing the army's command]]: he dismissed [[John Bagot Glubb|Glubb Pasha]] as the commander of the Arab Legion and replaced all the senior British officers with Jordanians, thereby renaming it into the "[[Jordanian Armed Forces|Jordan Armed Forces]]-Arab Army".<ref name="ttkhkf"/> He annulled the Anglo-Jordanian treaty and replaced British subsidies with Arab aid.<ref name="ttkhkf"/> Hussein's bold decisions were met with admiration at home and relations with Arab states improved.<ref name="ttkhkf"/>

==="A liberal experiment"===
{{See also|Suleiman Nabulsi's cabinet}}

Egyptian president Nasser received an outpouring of support from the Arab public after the [[Egyptian–Czechoslovak arms deal]] was signed in September 1955,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} and his popularity in Jordan skyrocketed following the nationalization of the [[Suez Canal]] in July 1956; his actions were seen as a powerful stance against Western [[imperialism]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} Hussein was also supportive of the moves.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} The coinciding events in Egypt had Jordanian leftist opposition parties leaning greatly towards Nasser.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}}

[[File:King Hussein and Abu Nuwar, 1956.jpg|thumb|left|Hussein addressing his troops in 1956, as [[Ali Abu Nuwar]], the army chief of staff, who in 1957 was involved in an [[1957 alleged Jordanian military coup attempt|alleged coup attempt]], observes.]] The parliament that had been elected in 1954 was dissolved, and Hussein promised fair elections.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} The parliamentary election held on [[1956 Jordanian general election|21 October 1956]] saw the [[National Socialist Party (Jordan)|National Socialist Party]] emerge as the largest party, winning 12 seats out of 40 in the House of Representatives.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} Hussein subsequently asked [[Suleiman Nabulsi]], leader of the Party, to form a government, the only [[Suleiman Nabulsi's cabinet|democratically elected government]] in Jordan's history.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} Hussein called this a "liberal experiment", to see how Jordanians would "react to responsibility".{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} On 29 October 1956, the [[Suez Crisis]] erupted in Egypt, as Britain, France, and Israel launched a military offensive to seize control of the canal.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} Hussein was furious but Nabulsi discouraged him from intervening.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} Nabulsi's policies frequently clashed with that of King Hussein's, including on how to deal with the [[Eisenhower Doctrine]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} The King had requested Nabulsi, as prime minister, to crack down on the [[Jordanian Communist Party|Communist Party]] and the media it controlled.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}} Nabulsi wanted to move Jordan closer to Nasser's regime, but Hussein wanted it to stay in the Western camp.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=106–128}}

Disagreements between the monarchy and the leftist government culminated in March 1957 when Nabulsi provided Hussein with a list of senior officers in the military he wanted to dismiss; Hussein initially heeded the recommendations. However, Nabulsi then presented an expanded list, which Hussein refused to act upon.{{sfn|Hiro|2003|p=352}} Nabulsi's government was forced to resign on 10 April.{{sfn|Hiro|2003|p=352}}[[File:King Hussein of Jordan among his troops 1 March 1957.png|thumb|right|Hussein receiving a warm welcome from his troops, 1 March 1957]] On 13 April, rioting broke in the [[Zarqa]] army barracks and the 21-year-old Hussein went to end the violence between royalist and Arab nationalist army units after the latter group spread rumors that the King had been assassinated.{{sfn|Dann|1989|p=59}} A 3,000-man Syrian force started moving south towards the Jordanian border in support of what they [[1957 alleged Jordanian military coup attempt|perceived as a coup attempt]], but turned around after the army units showed their loyalty to the King.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=135}} Two principal accounts emerged regarding the events at Zarqa, with the royalist version holding that the incident was an abortive coup by army chief of staff [[Ali Abu Nuwar]] against King Hussein, and the dissident version asserting that it was a staged, American-backed counter-coup by Hussein against the pan-Arabist movement in Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=133}} In either case, Abu Nuwar and other senior Arabist officers resigned and were allowed to leave Jordan for Syria, where they incited opposition to the Jordanian monarchy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=133}} Hussein reacted by imposing [[martial law]].{{sfn|Yitzhak|2012|p=125}} Although he eventually relaxed some of these measures, namely military curfews and severe press censorship, Hussein's moves significantly curtailed the constitutional democracy that existed in Jordan in the mid-1950s.{{sfn|Pearson|2010|p=110}} The alleged conspirators were sentenced to 15 years [[Trial in absentia|in absentia]], but later on were pardoned by Hussein in 1964 as part of his reconciliation efforts with his exiled opposition, and were entrusted with senior positions in the government.{{sfn|Pearson|2010|p=110}}

===Arab Federation between Iraq and Jordan===
{{Main|Arab Federation}}

The 1950s became known as the [[Arab Cold War]], due to the conflict between states led by Nasserist Egypt and traditionalist kingdoms led by Saudi Arabia.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} Egypt and Syria formed the [[United Arab Republic]] (UAR) on 1 February 1958, with the Republic's presidency occupied by Nasser.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} As a counterweight, Hussein and his cousin, [[Faisal II of Iraq|King Faisal II]] of [[Kingdom of Iraq|Hashemite Iraq]], established the [[Arab Federation]] on 14 February 1958 in an Amman ceremony.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} The two rival entities launched propaganda wars against each other through their radio broadcasts.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} Jordanian and Syrian forces clashed in March along the border.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} UAR-inspired conspiracies started to emerge against the Hashemite federation.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=157}} An officer in Jordan was arrested for plotting to assassinate Hussein.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} It also emerged in Jordan that the UAR was planning to overthrow both Hashemite monarchies in July 1958.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} Jordan reacted by arresting 40 suspected army officers, and Hussein called in Iraqi army chief of staff Rafiq Aref to brief him on the exposed plot.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} Aref replied, "You look after yourselves. Iraq is a very stable country, unlike Jordan. If there are any worries it is Jordan that should be worried."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}} Although Faisal and Hussein enjoyed a very close relationship, Faisal's Iraqi entourage looked down on Jordan; Hussein attributed this attitude to Iraqi crown prince [['Abd al-Ilah]]'s influence.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=153–159}}[[File:King Faisal and King Hussein 2 1957.png|thumb|right|Hussein with his cousin [[Faisal II of Iraq|King Faisal II]] (left) of the [[Kingdom of Iraq]], 1957. In February 1958, the two Hashemite Kingdoms formed the [[Arab Federation]] that lasted until Faisal was deposed in a bloody coup on [[14 July revolution|14 July 1958]].]]

The Lebanese, pro-Western government of [[Camille Chamoun]] was also threatened to be toppled by growing UAR-supported domestic opposition groups.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} The Iraqis sent a brigade to Jordan on 13 July at Hussein's request.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} The Iraqi brigade's departure to Jordan gave the conspirators in Iraq, led by Brigadier [[Abd al-Karim Qasim]], the opportunity to strike.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} On [[14 July Revolution|14 July]], an Iraqi unit stormed the royal palace in Iraq, executed all members of the Iraqi royal family, and mutilated the bodies of the crown prince and the Iraqi prime minister of the Arab Federation, [[Nuri Al-Said]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} Devastated, Hussein ordered a Jordanian expedition led by [[Sharif]] [[Hussein ibn Nasser|Nasser]] to reclaim the Iraqi throne,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} but it was recalled after it was {{convert|150|mi|0|adj=on}} inside Iraq.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} Hussein, worried about a similar coup in Jordan, tightened [[martial law]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} American troops landed in both Lebanon and Jordan as a show of support for pro-Western regimes in the region against the Nasserist tide.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} By October, the situation had calmed, and Western troops were recalled.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}}

Hussein went on a vacation to Switzerland on 10 November. As he was flying his own plane over Syria, it was intercepted by two Syrian jets that attempted to attack.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} Hussein outmaneuvered the Syrians and survived the assassination attempt, landing safely in Amman, where he received a hero's welcome{{snd}}his popularity in Jordan skyrocketed overnight.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} [[Golda Meir]], an Israeli politician who would later become prime minister, was reported in 1958 as saying: "We all pray three times a day for King Hussein's safety and success."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} The Israelis preferred that Hussein remain in power rather than a Nasserist regime.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=159–196}} Hussein for his part held secret meetings with Israeli officials, including Meir, seeing the fate, needs, and challenges (e.g. water supply) of Jordan inextricably linked with those of Israel and therefore to be solved with the cooperation of the latter.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=224}}

In 1959, Hussein embarked on a tour to different countries to consolidate bilateral ties.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=174}} His visit to the United States gained him many friends in [[United States Congress|Congress]] after he spoke openly against Soviet influence in the Middle East, returning with a $50{{nbsp}}million aid package.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=174}} Sadiq Al-Shar'a, an army general who accompanied Hussein to the United States, was found to have been plotting a coup against the monarchy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=174}} News of the arrest of the conspiring officers in Jordan coincided with Hussein's visit to the US.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=171}} Hussein was tipped off to Al-Shar'a's involvement, but did not reveal it until they both landed back in Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=174}} Al-Shar'a was tried and received the death penalty; Hussein reduced his sentence to life imprisonment.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=174}} Four years later, Al-Shar'a was pardoned and appointed director of Jordan's passport office.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=174}}

===Assassination attempts===
[[Hazza' Majali]] was appointed by Hussein to form a government; it consisted of loyalists who had persuaded Hussein to launch an offensive against the Iraqi government to restore the Hashemite monarchy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} The expedition was cancelled amid British opposition and the weakened state of the [[Royal Jordanian Air Force]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} UAR agents assassinated Prime Minister Majali with a bomb planted in his office. Twenty minutes later, another explosion went off;{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} it was intended for Hussein as it was expected he would run to the scene, which he did{{snd}}he was a few minutes late.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} Hussein, persuaded by [[Habis Majali]], Hazza's cousin and the army chief of staff, prepared for a retaliation against Syria, whose intelligence service was responsible for the assassination.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} He prepared three brigades in the north, but the operation was called off after combined pressures from the Americans and the British.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} Egyptian radios denounced Hussein as the "Judas of the Arabs".{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}}[[File:Prime Ministry of Jordan terrorist attack, 29 August 1960.png|thumb|Smoke rising out of the Jordanian Prime Ministry building after the explosion that killed Prime Minister [[Hazza' Majali]] on 29 August 1960.]]

Hussein would be subjected to several more assassination attempts.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} One involved replacing his nose drops with strong acid. Another plot was uncovered after a large number of cats were found dead in the royal palace; it emerged that the cook had been trying poisons to use against the king.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} He was later pardoned and released after Hussein received a plea from the cook's daughter.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} Assassination attempts against the king subsided after [[1961 Syrian coup d'état|a successful coup]] toppled the Syrian regime on 28 September 1961 and the UAR collapsed.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} With a calmed situation in Jordan, the King issued his slogan "Let us build this country to serve this nation."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}} But critics considered the slogan mere lip service, saying Hussein showed little interest in the economic situation of the country, unlike the military and foreign relations aspects.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=176–184}}

In January 1962 [[Wasfi Tal]] was appointed prime minister.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} The young politician who worked to bring sweeping reforms resigned after Hussein sought to solidify his position following the rise of the Nasser-supporting [[Ba'ath party]] to the governments of Iraq and Syria in [[1963 Syrian coup d'état|two 1963 coups]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} The first direct contacts between Jordan and Israel started in early 1960s; Hussein had a Jewish doctor named Emmanuel Herbert who acted as intermediary between the two nations during Hussein's visits to London.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} In the talks, Hussein highlighted his commitment to a peaceful resolution to the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} His secret rapprochement with Israel was followed by a public rapprochement with Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1964, which bolstered Hussein's popularity both in Jordan and in the Arab world.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} Hussein received a warm welcome after visiting West Bank cities afterwards.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} The rapprochement with Nasser happened during the [[1964 Arab League summit (Cairo)|1964 Arab League summit]] in Cairo, where the [[Palestine Liberation Army]] (PLA) and the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) were established, and where Jordan agreed to join the [[United Arab Command]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} During the summit Nasser also attempted to convince Hussein to purchase Soviet weapons, but the Americans provided Hussein with tanks and jets instead, with the understanding that they would not be used in the West Bank at Israel's request.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} The PLO identified itself as a representative of the Palestinian people, which clashed with Jordan's sovereignty claim over the West Bank.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}} The PLO started to demand that the Jordanian government legalize their activities, including the setting up of Palestinian armed units to fight Israel; the requests were denied.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=185–218}}

===Samu Incident===
{{Main|Samu Incident}}
[[File:Nasser and Hussein at 1964 Arab Summit.jpg|thumb|180px|left|King Hussein and Egyptian president [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] at the [[1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)|1964 Arab League Summit]] in Egypt, 11 September 1964]]

Hussein later stated that during one of his meetings with Israeli representatives: "I told them I could not absorb a serious retaliatory raid, and they accepted the logic of this and promised there would never be one."<ref>Bowen 2003, p.&nbsp;26 (citing Amman Cables 1456, 1457, 11 December 1966, National Security Files (Country File: Middle East), LBJ Library (Austin, Texas), Box 146).</ref> The Palestinian nationalist organization [[Fatah]] started organizing cross-border attacks against Israel in January 1965, often drawing [[Reprisal operations|Israeli reprisals]] on Jordan.<ref name="BBC1970">{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/17/newsid_4575000/4575159.stm|title=1970: Civil war breaks out in Jordan|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=9 August 2017|date=1 January 2010}}</ref> One such reprisal was the [[Samu Incident]], an attack launched by Israel on 13 November 1966 on the Jordanian-controlled West Bank town of [[As-Samu]] after three Israeli soldiers were killed by a Fatah landmine.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=223–224}} The assault inflicted heavy Arab casualties.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=223–224}} Israeli writer [[Avi Shlaim]] argues that Israel's disproportionate retaliation exacted revenge on the wrong party, as Israeli leaders knew from their coordination with Hussein that he was doing everything he could to prevent such attacks.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=223–224}} The incident drew fierce local criticism of Hussein amid feelings he had been betrayed by the Israelis; Hussein also suspected that Israel had changed its attitude towards Jordan and had intended to escalate matters in order to capture the West Bank.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=223–224}} [[Yitzhak Rabin]], the then [[Israel Defense Forces]] chief of staff, later admitted the disproportionate reaction by Israel, and that the operation would have been better directed at Syria, which was supporting such attacks: "We had neither political nor military reasons to arrive at a confrontation with Jordan or to humiliate Hussein."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=223–224}}
{{quote box
| quote  = If we look at water, it was a problem that both of us suffered from. If we look at even a flu epidemic, it affected both of us. Every aspect of life was interrelated and interlinked in some way or another. And to simply ignore that was something I could not understand. Maybe others could, others who were distant, who were not equally aware or involved. By now there were Palestinians and Jordanians, and their rights, their future was at stake. One had to do something; one had to explore what was possible and what was not.
| source = Hussein recounting his secret meetings with Israeli representatives{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=222}}
| align  = right
| width  = 35%
}}
The events at Samu triggered large-scale anti-Hashemite protests in the West Bank for what they perceived as Hussein's incompetency for defending them against Israel: rioters attacked government offices, chanted pro-Nasser slogans, and called on Hussein to have the same fate as [[Nuri As-Said]]{{snd}}the Iraqi prime minister who had been killed and mutilated in 1958 along with the Iraqi royal family.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=226–240}} Jordanians believed that after this incident, Israel would march on the West Bank whether or not Jordan joined the war.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=226–240}} Perception of King Hussein's efforts to come to peaceful terms with Israel led to great dissatisfaction among some Arab leaders.<ref name="bbc onthisday"/> President Nasser of Egypt denounced Hussein as an "imperialist lackey".<ref name="bbc onthisday">BBC on this Day, [https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/30/newsid_2493000/2493177.stm Egypt and Jordan unite against Israel]. Retrieved 8 October 2005.</ref> In a meeting with American officials, Hussein, sometimes with tears in his eyes, said: "The growing split between the East Bank and the West Bank has ruined my dreams," and, "There is near despair in the army and the army no longer has confidence in me."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=226–240}} Hussein travelled to Cairo on 30 May 1967 and hastily signed an Egyptian-Jordanian mutual defense treaty, returning home to cheering crowds.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39960461|title=1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East|work=BBC News|date=5 June 2017|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> Shlaim argues that Hussein had possessed options, but had made two mistakes: the first was in putting the Jordanian army under Egyptian command; the second was in allowing the entry of Iraqi troops into Jordan, which raised Israeli suspicions against Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=226–240}} Egyptian general [[Abdul Munim Riad]] arrived in Jordan to command its army pursuant to the pact signed with Egypt.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=226–240}}

===Six-Day War===
{{Main|Six-Day War}}
[[File:King Hussein flying over Temple Mount when it was under Jordanian control.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein flying over the [[Dome of the Rock]] in [[East Jerusalem]] when the [[West Bank]] was under [[Jordanian annexation of the West Bank|Jordanian control]], 1964]]

On 5 June 1967 the [[Six-Day War]] began after an Israeli strike wiped out [[Egyptian Air Force|Egypt's Air Force]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} The Egyptian army commander in Cairo transmitted to General Riad that the Israeli strike had failed, and that [[Israeli Air Force|Israel's Air Force]] was almost wiped out.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} Based on the misleading information from Cairo, Riad ordered the Jordanian army to take offensive positions and attack Israeli targets around [[Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} Jordanian [[Hawker Hunters]] made sorties but were destroyed by Israel when they went to refuel; Syria's and Iraq's air forces followed.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} Israel's air superiority on the first day of war proved decisive.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} Two Israeli jets attempted to assassinate Hussein; one was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery, and the other shot directly at Hussein's office in the royal palace.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} Hussein was not there, the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] station chief in Amman [[Jack O'Connell (diplomat)|Jack O'Connell]] relayed a message threatening the Israelis, and the attempts stopped.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}} The Jordanians had prepared a war strategy, but the Egyptian commander insisted to build his strategy based on the misleading information from Egypt.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=241–245}}

By 7 June fighting led the Jordanians to withdraw from the West Bank, and Jerusalem's [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]] and the [[Dome of the Rock]] were abandoned after desperate fighting.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} Israel blew up the bridges between the two banks to consolidate its control.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} Jordan suffered a severe setback with the loss of the West Bank, which contributed 40% to Jordan's GDP in the tourism, industrial, and agricultural sectors.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} Around 200,000 Palestinian refugees fled to Jordan, destabilizing Jordan's demographics.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} The loss of Jerusalem was critical to Jordan, and specifically for Hussein who held the [[Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites|Hashemite custodianship of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, believed to be where [[Muhammad]] ascended to heaven.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} By 11 June Israel had decisively won the war by capturing the West Bank from Jordan, [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] and the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] from Egypt, and the [[Golan Heights]] from Syria.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}} Nasser and Hussein, recognizing their defeat, sought to work together towards a more moderate stance.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=243–255}}

On 22 November 1967 the [[United Nations Security Council]] unanimously approved [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|resolution 242]], which became one of Jordan's foreign policy cornerstones.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=272–274}} It denounced acquisition of territory by force and called on Israel to withdraw from territories occupied in the 1967 war.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=272–274}} Israel rejected the resolution.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=272–274}} Hussein restarted talks with Israeli representatives throughout 1968 and 1969, but the talks went nowhere{{snd}}Shlaim claims the Israelis stalled and that Hussein refused to cede any West Bank territory.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=272–274}}

===Black September===
{{Main|Battle of Karameh|Black September|King Hussein's federation plan}}
[[File:Karama aftermath 1.jpg|thumb|left|Hussein after checking an abandoned Israeli tank in the aftermath of the [[Battle of Karameh]], 21 March 1968.]]
After Jordan lost control of the West Bank in 1967, [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] fighters known as "[[Palestinian fedayeen|fedayeen]]", meaning self-sacrificers, moved their bases to Jordan and stepped up their attacks on Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} One Israeli retaliation on a PLO camp based in [[Karameh]], a Jordanian town along the border with the West Bank, developed into a full-scale battle.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} It is believed that Israel had wanted to punish Jordan for its perceived support for the PLO.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s3torytPXdUC&pg=PA405|page=407|title=Middle East Record 1968|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|author=Dishon|date=1 October 1973|isbn=978-0470216118|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> After failing to capture [[Yasser Arafat]], the PLO leader, Israeli forces withdrew or were repulsed, but not before destroying the Karameh camp<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=990DE3DD143BE73ABC4B51DFB5668383679EDE|access-date=26 October 2015|title=GUERRILLAS BACK AT JORDAN CAMP; Attack by Israelis Failed to Destroy Base at Karameh or Wipe Out Commandos|work=The New York Times|date=28 March 1968}}{{subscription required}}</ref> and sustaining relatively high casualties.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAd8efHdVzIC|title=Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, The: A Political, Social, and Military History: A Political, Social, and Military History|author1=Spencer C. Tucker |author2=Priscilla Roberts |publisher=ABC-CLIO|date=12 May 2005|pages=569–573|isbn=978-1851098422}}</ref>

The perceived joint Jordanian-Palestinian victory in the 1968 [[Battle of Karameh]] led to an upsurge of support in the Arab World for Palestinian fighters in Jordan.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvfrqsUyHYgC&pg=PT23|page=200|date=22 June 2011|author=Muki Betser|title=Secret Soldier|publisher=Grove/Atlantic, Inc.|isbn=978-0802195210|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> The PLO in Jordan grew in strength, and by the beginning of 1970 the fedayeen groups started to openly call for the overthrow of the [[Hashemite]] monarchy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} Acting as a [[state within a state]], the fedayeen disregarded local laws and regulations, and even attempted to assassinate King Hussein twice, leading to [[Black September|violent confrontations between them and the Jordanian army]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} Hussein wanted to oust the fedayeen from the country, but hesitated to strike because he did not want his enemies to use it against him by equating Palestinian fighters with civilians.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} PLO actions in Jordan culminated in the [[Dawson's Field hijackings]] incident on 10 September 1970, in which the fedayeen hijacked three civilian aircraft and forced their landing in Zarqa, taking foreign nationals as hostages, and later bombing the planes in front of the international press.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} Hussein saw this as the last straw, and ordered the army to move.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}}

On 17 September the Jordanian army surrounded cities that had a PLO presence, including Amman and [[Irbid]], and began shelling the fedayeen, who had established themselves in Palestinian refugee camps.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} The next day, a force from Syria with PLO markings started advancing towards Irbid, which the fedayeen declared a "liberated" city.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} On 22 September, the Syrians withdrew after the Jordanian army launched an air-ground offensive that inflicted heavy Syrian losses, and after Israeli Air Force jets flew over Syrian units in a symbolic show of support of Hussein, but did not engage.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} An agreement brokered by Egyptian president Nasser between Arafat and Hussein led to an end to the fighting on 27 September. Nasser died the following day of a heart attack.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} On 13 October Hussein signed an agreement with Arafat to regulate the fedayeen's presence,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} but the Jordanian army attacked again in January 1971.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} The fedayeen were driven out of Jordanian cities one by one until 2,000 fedayeen surrendered after being encircled in a forest near Ajloun on 17 July, marking the end of the conflict.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}}[[File:Jordanian King meets advisors on events of Black September, 17 September 1970.png|thumb|right|Hussein in a meeting during [[Black September]] with Prime Minister [[Wasfi Tal]] (right) and Army Chief of Staff [[Habis Majali]] (left), 17 September 1970]]

Jordan allowed the fedayeen to leave for Lebanon through Syria, an event that led to the [[Lebanese Civil War]] in 1975.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} The [[Black September Organization]] was founded the same year, named after the conflict.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}} The organization claimed responsibility for the assassination of Jordanian prime minister [[Wasfi Tal]] in 1971, and the highly publicized 1972 [[Munich massacre]] against Israeli athletes.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=311–340}}

In a speech to the Jordanian parliament on 15 March 1972, Hussein announced his "[[King Hussein's federation plan|United Arab Kingdom]]" plan.{{sfn|Salibi|1998|p=251–252}} Unlike the [[unitary state]] that had existed between the West Bank and Jordan during [[Jordanian annexation of the West Bank|Jordan's annexation of the West Bank]] (1950–1967), this plan envisaged two [[Federation|federal]] entities on each bank of the Jordan River.{{sfn|Salibi|1998|p=251–252}} According to the proposal, the two districts of the federation would be autonomous, excluding the military and the foreign and security affairs that would be determined by an Amman central government.{{sfn|Salibi|1998|p=251–252}} But the implementation of the plan was to be conditional upon achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Jordan.{{sfn|Salibi|1998|p=251–252}} Ultimately, Hussein's proposal was ruled out after it was vehemently rejected by Israel, the PLO, and several Arab states.{{sfn|Salibi|1998|p=251–252}}

===Yom Kippur War===
{{Main|Yom Kippur War}}
After the 1967 war, [[Gunnar Jarring]] was appointed by the UN as a [[special envoy]] for the Middle East peace process, leading the [[Jarring Mission]].<ref name="response"/> The talks between Arab countries and Israel resulted in a deadlock.<ref name="response">"[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign%20Relations/Israels%20Foreign%20Relations%20since%201947/1947-1974/28%20The%20Jarring%20initiative%20and%20the%20response-%208%20Febr The Jarring initiative and the response]," ''Israel's Foreign Relations'', Selected Documents, vols.{{nbsp}}1–2, 1947–1974. Retrieved 9 June 2005.</ref> The stalemate led to renewed fears of another war between Arab countries and Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}} Worried that Jordan would be dragged into another war unprepared, Hussein sent [[Zaid Al-Rifai]] to Egyptian president [[Anwar Sadat]] in December 1972 to inquire.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}} Sadat informed Al-Rifai that he had been planning a limited incursion in the Sinai that would allow some political manoeuvring.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}} Sadat then invited Al-Rifai and Hussein to a summit on 10 September 1973 with him and [[Hafez al-Assad]], who had become president of Syria.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}} The summit ended with a restoration of ties between Jordan, Egypt, and Syria.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}} Sadat disclosed to Assad and Hussein his intention to initiate military action.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}} Hussein refused Sadat's request to allow the fedayeen's return to Jordan but agreed that in case of a military operation, Jordanian troops would play a limited defensive role in assisting the Syrians in the Golan Heights.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=358–360}}[[File:King Hussein while in Mafraq 12 July, 1974.jpg|thumb|left|Hussein addressing crowds in [[Mafraq]] through his car's [[megaphone]], 12 July 1974]]

Egypt and Syria launched the [[Yom Kippur War]] against Israel in the Sinai and in the Golan Heights on 6 October 1973 without Hussein's knowledge.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–384}} Between 10 September and 6 October, Hussein secretly met with Israeli prime minister [[Golda Meir]] in [[Tel Aviv]] on 25 September. Israeli leaks of the meeting led to rumors in the Arab World that Hussein had tipped off Meir about Arab intentions.<ref name="Kumaraswamy2013">{{cite book|last=Kumaraswamy|first=P.R.|title=Revisiting the Yom Kippur War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g1TkFQgzp5cC&pg=PA14|access-date=15 July 2014|date=11 January 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1136328954|page=14}}</ref> Hussein only discussed with Meir what both already knew, that the Syrian army was on alert.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–384}} On 13 October Jordan joined the war and sent the 40th{{nbsp}}brigade to assist the Syrians in the Golan Heights.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–382}} Some see it as ironic that it was the same brigade that had been sent to deter the Syrian invasion during Black September in 1970.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–384}} Subsequent peace talks with Israel collapsed; while Jordan wanted a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Israel preferred to retain control but with Jordanian administration.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–382}}

In the [[1974 Arab League summit]] held in Morocco on 26 October, a Fatah plot to assassinate Hussein upon his arrival was uncovered by the Moroccan authorities.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–384}} The plot did not deter Hussein from joining the summit, but at the end Jordan had to join all the Arab countries in recognizing the PLO as "the sole representative of the Palestinian people," a diplomatic defeat for Hussein.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=363–384}} The relationship between Jordan and the United States deteriorated when Jordan refused to join the [[Camp David Accords]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=405–411}} The Accords formed the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, and allowed the withdrawal of Israel from the Sinai.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=405–411}} In 1978 Hussein went to [[Baghdad]] for the first time since 1958; there, he met Iraqi politician [[Saddam Hussein]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=405–411}} When Saddam became president of Iraq in 1979, Hussein supported Saddam's [[Iran–Iraq War]] that stretched from 1980 to 1988.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=405–411}} The relationship grew as Saddam provided Jordan with subsidized oil, and Jordan allowed Iraq to use the [[Port of Aqaba]] for its exports.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=405–411}}

===Involvement in peace initiatives===
When the PLO moved to Lebanon from Jordan after 1970, repeated attacks and counter-attacks occurred in southern Lebanon between the PLO and Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=417}} Two major Israeli incursions into Lebanon occurred in [[1978 South Lebanon conflict|1978]], and the other in [[1982 Lebanon War|1982]], the latter conflict troubled Hussein as the IDF had laid siege to [[Beirut]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=417}} The PLO was to be expelled from Lebanon, and [[Ariel Sharon]], the Israeli Defense minister, suggested they be moved to Jordan where the monarchy would be toppled and Jordan would serve as an "alternative Palestinian homeland".{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=417}} Sharon boasted: "One speech by me will make King Hussein realize that the time has come to pack his bags."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=417}} However, Arafat rejected Sharon's suggestion, and the fedayeen were transported to Tunisia under American cover.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=417}}
[[File:Jimmy Carter with King Hussein of Jordan the Shah of Iran and Shahbanou of Iran - NARA - 177332 04.jpg|thumb|left|Hussein with American president [[Jimmy Carter]], Iranian [[Shah]] [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] and Shahbanou [[Farah Pahlavi|Farah]] (from left to right), 31 December 1977]]

In 1983 American president [[Ronald Reagan]] suggested a peace plan that became known as the Reagan plan, similar to Hussein's 1972 federation plan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Hussein and Arafat both agreed to the plan on 1 April, but the PLO's executive office rejected it.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} A year and a half later, a renewed effort by Hussein to jump start the peace process culminated in the establishment of a Jordan–PLO accord that sought a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an unprecedented milestone for the PLO and a Jordanian diplomatic victory.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} The accord was opposed by Israel and garnered no international support from either the United States or the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Around the same time, Hussein met Israel prime minister [[Shimon Peres]] on 19 July 1985 in the United Kingdom, where Peres assented to the accord, but later the rest of his government opposed it due to the PLO's involvement.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Subsequent talks between the PLO and Jordan collapsed after the PLO refused to make concessions; in a speech Hussein announced that "after two long attempts, I and the government of Jordan hereby announce that we are unable to continue to coordinate politically with the PLO leadership until such time as their word becomes their bond, characterized by commitment, credibility and constancy."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}}

Jordan started a crackdown on the PLO by closing their offices in Amman after the Israeli minister of defense, Yitzhak Rabin, requested it from Hussein in a secret meeting.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Jordan announced a $1.3{{nbsp}}billion five-year development plan for the West Bank, in a bid to enhance its image in the West Bank residents at the expense of the PLO.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Around the same time, Hussein became troubled after he heard that Israel had been selling American weapons to Iran, thereby lengthening the conflict between Iraq and Iran, both supporters of the PLO.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} The relationship between Hussein and Saddam became very close{{snd}}Hussein visited Baghdad 61 times between 1980 and 1990,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} and Saddam used Hussein to relay messages to several countries, including the US and Britain.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} In June 1982, after Iran's victory seemed imminent, Hussein personally carried to Saddam sensitive photographic intelligence forwarded to him by the US.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} In return, Saddam provided incentives for Jordanian exports to Iraq, which accounted for a quarter of all Jordan's exports, valued at $212.3{{nbsp}}million in 1989.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Iraqi aid helped Jordan's finances; Hussein had felt it humiliating to keep asking [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf countries]] for assistance.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Hussein made a little-known attempt to heal the rift between the two [[Ba'ath]] regimes of Iraq and Syria in April 1986.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} The meeting between Hafez al-Assad and Saddam Hussein occurred at an airbase in [[Al-Jafr, Jordan|Al-Jafr]] in the eastern Jordanian desert.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} The talks lasted for a day, after which no progress was made.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} Saddam was angry at Al-Assad for supporting Iran against an Arab country, Iraq,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}} and Al-Assad was adamant about establishing a union between Iraq and Syria, which Saddam rejected.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=425–438}}

On 11 April 1987, after [[Yitzhak Shamir]] became prime minister of Israel, Hussein engaged in direct talks with Shamir's foreign minister, Peres, in London.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=440–452}} After reaching an agreement between Hussein and Peres on establishing an international peace conference, Shamir and the rest of the ministers in his cabinet rejected the proposal.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=440–452}} On [[1987 Arab League summit|8 November 1987]] Jordan hosted an Arab League summit; Hussein enjoyed good relations with rival Arab blocs, and he acted as conciliatory intermediate.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=440–452}} He helped mobilize Arab support for Iraq against Iran, and for Jordan's peace efforts, and helped to end the decade-long Arab boycott of Egypt{{snd}}a boycott that began after it unilaterally signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=440–452}} Hussein described the summit as one of the best moments in his life.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=440–452}}

===Disengagement from West Bank===
{{Main|Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank}}
[[File:King Hussein of Jordan with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in cockpit, 1984.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein flying an airplane with Brunei Sultan [[Hassanal Bolkiah]], 1984]]

On 9 December 1987 an Israeli truck driver ran over four Palestinians in a [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] refugee camp, sparking unrest that spread to violent demonstrations in the West Bank.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} What began as an uprising to achieve Palestinian independence against the Israeli occupation turned into an upsurge of support for the PLO, which had orchestrated the uprising, and consequently diminished Jordanian influence in the West Bank.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} Jordanian policy on the West Bank had to be reconsidered following renewed fears that Israel would revive its proposal for Jordan to become an "alternative Palestinian homeland".{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} US Secretary of State [[George P. Shultz]] set up a peace process that became known as the Schulz Initiative.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} It called for Jordan rather than the PLO to represent the Palestinians; however, when Schultz contacted Hussein about the plan, he reversed his position and told him it was a matter for the PLO to decide.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}}

The orchestrators of the Intifada were the [[Unified National Leadership of the Uprising]], which issued its 10th communiqué on 11 March 1988, urging its followers to "intensify the mass pressure against the [Israel] occupation army and the settlers and against collaborators and personnel of the Jordanian regime."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} West Bank Palestinians deviation from the Jordanian state highlighted the need for a revision in Jordan's policy, and [[Jordanian nationalism|Jordanian nationalists]] began to argue that Jordan would be better off without the Palestinians and without the West Bank.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} Adnan Abu Oudeh, a Palestinian descendant who was Hussein's political advisor, Prime Minister [[Zaid Al-Rifai]], army chief of staff [[Zaid ibn Shaker]], [[The Royal Hashemite Court|Royal Court]] chief Marwan Kasim, and mukhabarat director Tariq Alaeddin, helped the King prepare West Bank disengagement plans.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} The Jordanian Ministry of Occupied Territories Affairs was abolished on 1 July 1988, its responsibilities taken over by the Palestinian Affairs Department.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} On 28 July Jordan terminated the West Bank development plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/29/world/jordan-drops-1.3-billion-plan-for-west-bank-development.html|title=Jordan Drops $1.3 Billion Plan For West Bank Development|agency=Associated Press|access-date=1 September 2017|date=29 July 1988|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Two days later a royal decree dissolved the [[Jordanian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], thereby removing West Bank representation in the Parliament.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} In a televised speech on 1 August, Hussein announced the "severing of Jordan's legal and administrative ties with the West Bank," essentially surrendering claims of sovereignty over the West Bank.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/01/world/hussein-surrenders-claims-west-bank-plo-us-peace-plan-jeopardy-internal-tensions.html|title=Hussein surrenders claims on West Bank to the PLO, U.S. peace plan in jeopardy|author=John Kifner|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=3 September 2017|date=1 August 1988}}</ref> The move revoked the Jordanian citizenship of Palestinians in the West Bank (who had obtained it since Jordan annexed the territory in 1950), but not that of Palestinians residing in Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} Nevertheless, the Hashemite custodianship over the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem was retained.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} Israeli politicians were stunned, thinking it was a political manoeuvre so that the Palestinians could show support for Hussein, but later realized that it represented a shift in Jordan's policy after Hussein asked his West Bank supporters not to issue petitions demanding that he relent.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}} In a meeting in November 1988 the PLO accepted all United Nations resolutions and agreed to recognize Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=453–467}}

===1989 riots===
{{Main|1989 Jordanian protests}}

Jordan's disengagement from the West Bank led to a slowing of the [[Economy of Jordan|Jordanian economy]].<ref name="afb"/> The [[Jordanian dinar]] lost a third of its value in 1988, and Jordan's foreign debt reached a figure double that of its [[gross national product]] (GNP).<ref name="afb"/> Jordan introduced [[austerity]] measures to combat the economic crisis.<ref name="nytc"/> On 16 April 1989 the government increased prices of gasoline, licensing fees, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes, between 15% and 50%, in a bid to increase revenues in accordance with an agreement with the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF).<ref name="nytc"/> The IMF agreement was to enable Jordan to reschedule its $6{{nbsp}}billion debt, and obtain loans totaling $275{{nbsp}}million over 18{{nbsp}}months.<ref name="nytc"/> On 18 April riots in [[Ma'an]] spread to other southern towns such as [[Al-Karak]] and [[Tafila]], where the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that around 4,000 people gathered in the streets and clashed with the [[Public Security Directorate (Jordan)|police]],<ref name="nytc">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/21/world/jordan-s-revolt-is-against-austerity.html|title=Jordan's Revolt Is Against Austerity|work=The New York Times|author=Alan Cowell|access-date=1 September 2017|date=21 April 1989}}</ref> resulting in six protesters killed and 42 injured, and two policemen killed and 47 injured.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/27/world/hussein-goes-on-tv-and-vows-an-election.html|title=Hussein Goes on TV And Vows an Election|date=27 April 1989|agency=Reuters|work=The New York Times|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref>

Despite the fact that the protests were triggered by a troubling economic situation, the crowds' demands became political.<ref name="afb">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rA689kk0lWEC&pg=PA25|page=25|title=Institutions and the Politics of Survival in Jordan: Domestic Responses to External Challenges, 1988–2001|author=Russell E. Lucas|publisher=SUNY Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0791483329}}</ref> Protesters accused Zaid Al-Rifai's government of rampant corruption and demanded that the martial law in place since 1957 be lifted and [[Elections in Jordan|parliamentary elections]] be resumed.<ref name="afb"/> The last parliamentary election had taken place [[1967 Jordanian general election|in 1967]], just before Jordan lost the West Bank, and when the parliament's tenure ended in 1971, no elections could be held due to the fact that the West Bank was under Israeli occupation, but the West Bank's status became irrelevant after Jordan's disengagement in 1988.<ref name="afb"/> Hussein relented to the demands by dismissing Al-Rifai, and appointed [[Zaid ibn Shaker]] to form a new government.<ref name="afb"/> In 1986 a new electoral law was passed, which allowed the reintroduction of parliamentary elections to proceed smoothly.<ref name="afb"/> The cabinet passed amendments to the electoral law that removed articles dealing with West Bank representation.<ref name="afb"/> In May 1989, just before the elections, Hussein announced his intention to appoint a 60-person royal commission to draft a reformist document named the National Charter.<ref name="afb"/> The National Charter sought to set a timetable for democratization acts.<ref name="afb"/> Although most members of the commission were regime loyalists, it included a number of opposition figures and dissidents.<ref name="afb"/> [[1989 Jordanian general election|Parliamentary elections]] were held on 8 November 1989, the first in 22 years.<ref name=N>[[Dieter Nohlen]], Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p.{{nbsp}}148 {{ISBN|0-19-924958-X}}</ref> The National Charter was drafted and ratified by parliament in 1991.<ref name="afb"/>

===Gulf War===
{{Main|Gulf War}}
[[File:Saddam Hussein and King Hussein.jpg|left|thumb|Hussein receiving the Iraqi president [[Saddam Hussein]] at the [[Queen Alia International Airport]] on 24 February 1990]]
A UN-brokered ceasefire became active in July 1988, ending the Iran-Iraq war.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468}} Hussein had advised Saddam after 1988 to polish his image in the West by visiting other countries, and by appearing at the United Nations for a speech, but to no avail.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} The Iraqi-Jordanian relationship developed into the [[Arab Cooperation Council]] (ACC), which also included [[Egypt]] and [[Yemen Arab Republic|North Yemen]], on 16 February 1989, serving as a counter to the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}}

Saddam's [[invasion of Kuwait]] on 2 August 1990 led six months later to international intervention to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait in what became known as the [[Gulf War]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} Iraq's invasion of Kuwait caught Hussein by surprise; he was the ACC chairman at that time, and a personal friend of Saddam's.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} After informing the American president [[George H. W. Bush]] of his intention to travel to Baghdad to contain the situation,{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} Hussein travelled to Baghdad on 3 August for a meeting with Saddam; at the meeting, the latter announced his intention to withdraw Iraqi troops from Kuwait only if Arab governments refrained from issuing statements of condemnation, and no foreign troops were involved.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} On Hussein's way back from Baghdad, Egypt issued a condemnation of the Iraqi invasion.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} To Hussein's dismay, Egyptian president [[Husni Mubarak]] refused to reverse his position and called for Iraq's unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} An Arab League summit held in Cairo issued a condemnation of Iraq with a fourteen-vote majority, despite calls by Jordan's foreign minister Marwan Al-Kasim that this move would hinder Hussein's efforts to reach a peaceful resolution.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}} Both [[Kuwait]] and [[Saudi Arabia]] viewed Hussein with suspicion{{snd}}they distrusted him and believed he was planning to obtain a share of Kuwait's wealth.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=468–506}}

On 6 August American troops arrived at the [[Kuwait–Saudi Arabia border|Kuwait-Saudi Arabian border]], Saddam's conditions were ignored, and Hussein's role as mediator was undermined.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Saddam then announced that his invasion had become "irreversible", and on 8 August he annexed Kuwait.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Jordan, along with the international community, refused to recognize the [[Republic of Kuwait|Iraqi-installed regime]] in Kuwait.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} The United States, seeing Jordan's neutrality as siding with Saddam, cut its aid to Jordan{{snd}}aid on which Jordan depended; Gulf countries soon followed.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Hussein's position in the international community was severely affected, so severe that he privately discussed his intention to [[abdicate]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Jordan's public opinion was overwhelmingly against international intervention, and against Gulf rulers who were perceived to be greedy and corrupt.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Hussein's popularity among Jordanians reached its zenith, and anti-Western demonstrations filled the streets.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} But Western pundits viewed Hussein's actions as impulsive and emotional, claiming that he could have dampened Jordanian public support for Iraq through better leadership.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Hussein's brother, Crown Prince [[Prince Hassan bin Talal|Hassan]], also disagreed with Hussein, but the King refused to recognize Saddam's wrongdoings.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}}

In late August and early September Hussein visited twelve Western and Arab capitals in an effort to promote a peaceful resolution.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} He finished his tour by flying directly to [[Baghdad]] to meet Saddam, where he warned: "Make a brave decision and withdraw your forces; if you don't, you will be forced out."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Saddam was adamant but agreed to Hussein's request to release Western nationals who were being held as hostages.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Threats of a war between Israel and Iraq were rising, and in December 1990 Hussein relayed a message to Saddam saying that Jordan would not tolerate any violations of its territory.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Jordan dispatched an armored division to its borders with Iraq, and Hussein's eldest son [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah]] was in charge of a [[Bell AH-1 Cobra|Cobra]] helicopter squadron.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Jordan also concentrated its forces near its border with Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} Adding to Jordan's deteriorating situation was the arrival of [[Palestinian exodus from Kuwait (1990–91)|400,000 Palestinian refugees from Kuwait]], who had all been working there.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} By 28 February 1991 the international coalition had successfully cleared Iraqi forces from Kuwait.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}}

===Peace with Israel===
{{Main|Israel–Jordan peace treaty}}
{{quote box
| quote  = Peace demands no less courage than war. It is the courage to meet the adversary, his attitudes and arguments, the courage to face hardships, the courage to bury senseless illusions, the courage to surmount impeding obstacles, the courage to engage in a dialogue to tear down the walls of fear and suspicion. It is the courage to face reality.
| quoted = 1 | width  = 35% | align  = right | source = King Hussein during his address to the [[Parliament of Jordan|Jordanian Parliament]] in Amman on 12 October 1991{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=512}}}}

Jordan participated in the imposition of economic sanctions against Iraq even though the sanctions would severely affect its economy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=478–506}} The effects of the Gulf War, the sanctions on Iraq, and the flow of refugees to Jordan were estimated by a UN report to be $1.5{{nbsp}}billion out of a gross domestic product (GDP) of $4.2{{nbsp}}billion in 1990, and $3.6{{nbsp}}billion out of a GDP of $4.7{{nbsp}}billion in 1991.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The end of the Gulf War coincided with the end of the Cold War.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} This allowed the United States to play a more active role in solving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The Bush administration were still angry at Hussein for the Gulf War events but realized they needed Jordan's participation in any peace process.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Hussein agreed to an American request to join an international peace conference so that Jordan could start repairing its relationship with the United States and end its political isolation.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Hussein's moves towards democratization in 1989 and his stance during the 1990 Gulf War had won him considerable popularity across Jordan's political spectrum.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} But when Hussein replaced his conservative prime minister, [[Mudar Badran]], with liberal Palestinian [[Taher Al-Masri]], who was in favor of peace negotiations with Israel, the [[Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood|Muslim Brotherhood]]{{snd}}Jordan's main opposition group, who at that time occupied 22 out of 80 seats in the [[House of Representatives (Jordan)|House of Representatives]], and whose members and support came mostly from Palestinians in the country{{snd}}vehemently rejected the new prime minister by voting against him during the [[vote of confidence]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The Brotherhood also refused to participate in the National Congress where the King hoped to gather support for a peace settlement.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}}

Hussein was tasked by the United States with forming a joint Palestinian-Jordanian delegation to participate in the [[Madrid Conference of 1991|Madrid Peace Conference]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The 28-member delegation consisted of 14 Jordanians and 14 Palestinians.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Along with solving the Palestinian problem, Jordan sought to safeguard its interests in relation to security, the economy, water, and the environment.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The peace conference convened on 30 October 1991, with delegations representing all parties to the conflict, the United States and the Soviet Union as co-sponsors, and the United Nations as observer.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The conference set a framework for negotiations, and PLO representatives offered to accept a Palestinian state under a [[confederation]] with Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} At home, the Muslim Brotherhood considered Al-Masri and his government as too liberal, and the Brotherhood merged with independent Islamists and formed the [[Islamic Action Front]] (IAF), increasing its representation to 34 in the 80-member House of Representative, a force strong enough to bring down the royally appointed government with a motion of a [[vote of no confidence]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Hussein then replaced Al-Masri with his conservative cousin [[Zaid ibn Shaker]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Subsequent peace talks continued in Washington, D.C., stretching from December 1991 to September 1993.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}}[[File:Hussein Clinton Rabin.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein shakes hands with Israeli prime minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]] during the Washington declaration that ended the "state of belligerency" as American president [[Bill Clinton]] observes, 13 September 1994.]]

Hussein could not participate in the details of the talks, a task he handed to his brother Hassan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Hussein was referred to the [[Mayo Clinic]] in the United States after having urological problems; he had his left kidney removed after tests showed his [[ureter]] contained precancerous cells.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} When Hussein went back healed to Jordan, he received a hero's welcome{{snd}}a third of Jordan's population filled the streets to greet him.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} On 23 November 1992 he gave an unusually aggressive speech.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} He called on extremists on both the right and left of the political spectrum to end their opposition to the peace negotiations, denounced what he saw as the Gulf countries' undemocratic nature, and called on Saddam to introduce democracy to Iraq.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Meanwhile, Yitzhak Rabin, under the leftist [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]], emerged as prime minister of Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} Thus, the PLO and Israeli representatives were quick to reach an agreement, which culminated in the 1993 [[Oslo Accords]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}} The Accords were held in secrecy between Arafat and Rabin without Hussein's knowledge, completely marginalizing Jordan and the Palestinian-Jordanian delegation in Washington.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=507–531}}

The parliamentary elections held on [[1993 Jordanian general election|8 November 1993]] were the first [[multi-party elections]] since 1956, but the [[proportional representation]] voting system was replaced by the controversial [[one man, one vote]] system.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} The latter system was introduced to limit the Islamist opposition's representation in the House of Representatives, by [[gerrymandering]] Palestinian majority areas and encouraging [[Independent (politics)|independents]] over [[Partisan (political)|partisan]] candidates.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} Consequently, the IAF's seats decreased from 34 to 21 seats out of 80.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} On 25 July 1994 Rabin and Hussein appeared at the [[White House]] and signed the Washington declaration, which announced the "end of the state of belligerency".{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} Subsequent negotiations culminated in the [[Israel–Jordan peace treaty]], signed on 26 October in a ceremony in [[Wadi Araba]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} The treaty was a culmination of over 58 secret meetings over 31 years between Hussein and Israeli leaders.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} The treaty recognized [[Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites|Jordan's role in Jerusalem's holy sites]], which angered Arafat who had sought such a position.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} Jordan's relations with the United States greatly improved: $700{{nbsp}}million worth of Jordan's debt was forgiven by the [[United States Congress]], and [[Bill Clinton]]'s administration authorized a substantial flow of aid to Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} After 1995 Hussein became increasingly critical of Saddam's rule in Iraq.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}}

On 4 November 1995 the Israeli prime minister [[Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin|Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated]] by a Jewish extremist, who aimed to undermine Rabin's peace efforts with the Palestinians.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} Due to the close relationship forged with Rabin during the negotiations of the treaty, Hussein was invited to give a speech during Rabin's funeral in Jerusalem.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} This was the first time Hussein had been in Jerusalem since the 1967 war.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}} Hussein drew parallels between Rabin's assassination and his grandfather's assassination in 1951: "We are not ashamed, nor are we afraid, nor are we anything but determined to continue the legacy for which my friend fell, as did my grandfather in this city when I was with him and but a boy."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=532–546}}

Jordan's signing of a peace treaty with Israel, and other issues, were met with disdain by Syria's president [[Hafez al-Assad]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}} The CIA handed the King a detailed report in December 1995 warning him of a Syrian plot to assassinate him and his brother Hassan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}} A month later, the CIA sent Hussein another report warning Jordan of Iraqi plots to attack Western targets in Jordan to undermine Jordan's security due to its support for the Iraqi opposition.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}} In Israel, Shimon Peres of the leftist Labor Party and [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] of the right-wing [[Likud]] party, were competing for the post of prime minister.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}} Hussein's popularity in Israel had peaked after the peace treaty was signed, and he was expected to express support for a candidate.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}} Hussein initially remained neutral, but later expressed support for Netanyahu.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}} [[Efraim Halevy]], then head of the Israeli intelligence agency ([[Mossad]]), claims that Hussein had preferred Netanyahu over Peres as he had deeply mistrusted the latter.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/maninshadowsinsi00hale|url-access=registration|title=Man in the Shadows: Inside the Middle East Crisis with a Man Who Led the Mossad|author=Efraim Halevy|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group|year=2007|page=[https://archive.org/details/maninshadowsinsi00hale/page/89 89]|isbn=978-0312337711}}</ref> The Israeli general election held on [[1996 Israeli general election|29 May 1996]] witnessed Netanyahu's ascension to the prime ministry.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=547–560}}

===Tensions with Israel===
{{Main|Island of Peace massacre}}
[[File:William Cohen with King Hussein I of Jordan, 1997.jpg|thumb|left|Hussein during a press conference at the [[White House]] with American secretary of Defense [[William Cohen]], 2 April 1997]]

Hussein's support for Netanyahu soon backfired.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Israel's actions during the 1996 [[Qana massacre]] in Southern Lebanon, the Likud government's decision to build settlements in [[East Jerusalem]], and the events at the [[Temple Mount]] where clashes between Palestinian and Israeli police ensued after Israeli tunnel diggings around the Mount, generated an uproar of criticism for Netanyahu in the Arab World.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} On 9 March 1997 Hussein sent Netanyahu a three-page letter expressing his disappointment.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} The King lambasted Netanyahu, with the letter's opening sentence stating: "My distress is genuine and deep over the accumulating tragic actions which you have initiated at the head of the Government of Israel, making peace – the worthiest objective of my life – appear more and more like a distant elusive mirage."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/12/world/in-their-own-words-the-views-of-hussein-and-netanyahu.html|title=In Their Own Words: The Views of Hussein and Netanyahu|date=12 March 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=20 December 2019|quote=Prime Minister, My distress is genuine and deep over the accumulating tragic actions which you have initiated at the head of the Government of Israel, making peace – the worthiest objective of my life – appear more and more like a distant elusive mirage. I could remain aloof if the very lives of all Arabs and Israelis and their future were not fast sliding towards an abyss of bloodshed and disaster, brought about by fear and despair. I frankly cannot accept your repeated excuse of having to act the way you do under great duress and pressure. I cannot believe that the people of Israel seek bloodshed and disaster and oppose peace. Nor can I believe that the most constitutionally powerful Prime Minister in Israeli history would act on other than his total convictions. The saddest reality that has been dawning on me is that I do not find you by my side in working to fulfill God's will for the final reconciliation of all the descendants of the children of Abraham. Your course of actions seems bent on destroying all I believe in or have striven to achieve . . .}}</ref>

Four days later, on 13 March, a Jordanian soldier patrolling the borders between Jordan and Israel in the north near the [[Island of Peace]], [[Island of Peace massacre|killed seven Israeli schoolgirls]] and wounded six others.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} The King, who was on an official visit to Spain, returned home immediately.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} He travelled to the Israeli town of [[Beit Shemesh]] to offer his condolences to the grieving families of the Israeli children killed.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} He went in front of the families, telling them that the incident was "a crime that is a shame for all of us. I feel as if I have lost a child of my own. If there is any purpose in life it will be to make sure that all the children no longer suffer the way our generation did."<ref>{{cite news|title=With condolence visit to Israel, King Hussein spurs talks|author=Jerrold Kessel|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9703/16/israel.hussein/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=16 March 1997|access-date=22 February 2011}}</ref> His gesture was received very warmly in Israel, and Hussein sent the families $1{{nbsp}}million in total as compensation for the loss of life.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} The soldier was determined to be mentally unstable by a Jordanian military tribunal and was sentenced to 20{{nbsp}}years in prison, which he served entirely.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}}

Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups in Gaza and the West Bank surfaced.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Hussein's wife, [[Queen Noor of Jordan|Queen Noor]], later claimed her husband was having trouble sleeping: "Everything he had worked for all his life, every relationship he had painstakingly built on trust and respect, every dream of peace and prosperity he had had for Jordan's children, was turning into a nightmare. I really did not know how much more Hussein could take."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}}

On 27 September 1997 eight [[Mossad]] agents entered Jordan using fake Canadian passports and attempted to assassinate Jordanian citizen [[Khaled Mashal]], head of the Palestinian group [[Hamas]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Hussein was preparing for a 30-year Hamas-Israel truce three days prior to the attempt, after Hamas had launched two attacks in Jerusalem.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Two Mossad agents followed Mashal to his office and injected poison into his ears, but they were caught by Mashal's bodyguard.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} The two agents were then held by the Jordanian police, while the six other agents hid in the Israeli embassy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Furious, Hussein met with an Israeli delegate who attempted to explain the situation; the King said in a speech about the incident that he felt that somebody "had spat in his face."{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Jordanian authorities requested Netanyahu to provide an antidote to save Mashal's life, but Netanyahu refused to do so.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Jordan then threatened to storm the Israeli embassy and capture the rest of the Mossad team, but Israel argued that it would be against the [[Geneva Conventions]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Jordan replied that the Geneva Conventions "do not apply to terrorists", and a [[Joint Special Operations Command (Jordan)|special operations]] team headed by Hussein's son [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah]] was put in charge of the operation.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Hussein called American president Clinton and requested his intervention, threatening to annul the treaty if Israel did not provide the antidote.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Clinton later managed to get Israel's approval to reveal the name of the antidote, and complained about Netanyahu: "This man is impossible!"{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Khaled Mashal recovered, but Jordan's relations with Israel deteriorated and Israeli requests to contact Hussein were rebuffed.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} The Mossad operatives were released by Jordan after Israel agreed to release 23 Jordanian and 50 Palestinian prisoners including Sheikh [[Ahmed Yassin]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}}

Mounting opposition in Jordan to the peace treaty with Israel led Hussein to put greater restrictions on [[freedom of speech]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} Several dissidents were imprisoned including [[Laith Shubeilat]], a prominent Islamist. A few months into his imprisonment, the King personally gave Shubeilat, his fiercest critic, a ride home from the [[Correction centers in Jordan|Swaqa prison]].<ref name="ltnyt">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/world/king-hussein-gives-his-foe-ride-from-jail.html|title=King Hussein Gives His Foe Ride From Jail|agency=Reuters|work=The New York Times|date=10 November 1996|access-date=4 December 2018}}</ref> However, the crackdown led the opposition groups in Jordan to boycott the [[1997 Jordanian general election|1997 parliamentary elections]].{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}} In 1998 Jordan refused a secret request from Netanyahu to attack Iraq using Jordanian airspace after claiming Saddam held weapons of mass destruction.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=560–581}}

==Illness, death and funeral==
{{Main|Death and state funeral of Hussein of Jordan}}
[[File:Royal Jordanian 1.jpg|thumb|''Royal Jordanian 1'' is escorted on 4 February 1999 by an F-16 of the [[Minnesota Air National Guard]] during King Hussein's return to Jordan. He died 3 days later.]]

In May 1998 Hussein, a heavy smoker, was admitted to the [[Mayo Clinic Hospital (Rochester)|Mayo Clinic]], but doctors were unable to diagnose his ailment.<ref name="khiads">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/27/world/king-hussein-returns-to-us-with-possible-cancer-relapse.html|title=King Hussein Returns to U.S. With Possible Cancer Relapse|work=The New York Times|date=27 January 1999|access-date=4 September 2017|author=Douglas Jehl}}</ref> Hussein returned to the clinic in July after suffering severe fevers; doctors then diagnosed him with [[Non-Hodgkin lymphoma]].<ref name="khiads"/> He stayed in the clinic until the end of 1998, while his brother Hassan, who had been crown prince since 1965, acted as regent.<ref name="khiads"/> He was given six courses of [[chemotherapy]] for his lymph gland cancer over a five-month period.<ref name="khiads"/> Hussein gained the respect of the Mayo Clinic staff for his warmth and kindness; on one occasion, a janitor cried uncontrollably after Hussein prepared a birthday party for her in his suite.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}}

In October 1998, Bill Clinton invited Hussein, during his stay at the clinic for chemotherapy treatment, to attend the [[Wye River Memorandum|Wye Plantation talks]] after a stalemate was reached between the Israeli and Palestinian delegations.<ref name="wrptfan"/> Hussein, who looked bald and weakened, arrived and urged both Arafat and Netanyahu to overcome the obstacles.<ref name="wrptfan"/> Encouraged by his presence, the two leaders agreed to resolve their difficulties.<ref name="wrptfan"/> Hussein received a standing ovation at the ceremony and praise from Clinton for interrupting his treatment and coming over.<ref name="wrptfan">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OqIaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA166|page=166|title=Narcissism and Politics: Dreams of Glory|author=Jerrold M. Post|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date= 24 November 2014|isbn=9781107008724|access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref>

At home, 1998 was a difficult year for Jordanians: GDP growth had slowed considerably and could not keep pace with an accelerating population growth.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}} Other incidents included a government scandal involving contamination of the country's water supply.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}} Samih Batikhi, the director of the [[General Intelligence Directorate (Jordan)|General Intelligence Directorate]] (mukhabarat), visited Hussein during his stay at the Mayo Clinic to keep him updated.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}} Batikhi discredited the King's brother Hassan, and often voiced his support for Hussein's eldest son Abdullah as successor.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}} Abdullah, who was 36 years old at the time, enjoyed great support from the army.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}} He was crown prince when he was born in 1962, but Hussein transferred the title to his brother Hassan in 1965 due to political uncertainty back then.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=582–608}} King Hussein had changed his line of succession a total of four times: "From his brother Muhammad, to his infant son Abdullah, to his second brother [[Prince Hassan bin Talal|Hassan]], and again to his then-grown-up son Abdullah."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/analyzing-king-abdullahs-change-in-the-line-of-succession|title=Analyzing King Abdullah's Change in the Line of Succession|website=washingtoninstitute.org}}</ref> On his way back to Jordan in January 1999, Hussein stopped in London.<ref name="jordanembassyus.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.jordanembassyus.org/011699001.htm |title=King to address Jordanians tonight ahead of Tuesday return |publisher=Jordan embassy |date=16 January 1999 |access-date=1 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831180822/http://www.jordanembassyus.org/011699001.htm |archive-date=31 August 2006 }}</ref> Doctors advised him to rest and stay in England for a few weeks, as he was still too fragile to travel.<ref name="jordanembassyus.org"/> According to Jordanian government sources, Hussein stated that:

{{blockquote|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.<ref>Mideastnews.com; 8 February 1999</ref>}}

Upon his arrival in Jordan, after a six-month medical absence from the country, he announced he was "completely cured".<ref name="cvoa"/> Hussein returned and publicly criticized his brother Hassan's management of Jordanian internal affairs. He also accused him of abusing his powers as regent and crown prince.<ref name="cvoa"/> On 24 January 1999, Hussein replaced Hassan with his son Abdullah as heir apparent.<ref name="cvoa">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAd8efHdVzIC&pg=PA25|page=25|title=The Encyclopedia of the Arab–Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History|access-date=1 November 2016|date=12 May 2008|first1=Spencer|last1=Tucker|first2=Priscilla|last2=Roberts|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781851098422}}</ref> Hassan gracefully accepted the King's decision on television, and congratulated his nephew Abdullah on his designation as crown prince.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9901/28/king.hussein.health/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010224025825/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9901/28/king.hussein.health/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 February 2001|title=Hussein's cancer relapse prompts 10 more days of chemotherapy|publisher=CNN|access-date=4 September 2017|date=28 January 1999}}</ref>[[File:King Hussein funeral in Amman motorcade.jpg|thumb|right|Mourners line up along [[List of roads in Amman|Zahran street]] in Amman on 8 February 1999 as royal motorcade transported King's coffin.]]

On 25 January, the day after he proclaimed Abdullah as crown prince, Hussein returned abruptly to the United States, after experiencing fevers{{snd}}a sign of recurrent lymphoma.<ref name="doal">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/02/05/jordans-king-flies-home/|title=Jordan's King Flies Home|date=5 February 1999|access-date=4 September 2017|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> On Tuesday 2 February, the king received a [[Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation|bone marrow transplant]], which failed. It was thereupon reported that Hussein had suffered internal organ failure, and was in critical condition.<ref name="doal"/> On 4 February, and at his request, he was flown to Jordan where he arrived in a coma.<ref name="doal"/> Fighter jets from several countries flew with his plane as it passed over their territories, including the United States, Britain, and Israel.<ref name="doal"/> Hussein arrived at the [[King Hussein Medical Center]] in Amman where it was raining heavily, yet thousands flocked from all over Jordan and gathered at the main entrance.<ref name="bbckhisld"/> The crowds chanted his name, some weeping, others holding his pictures.<ref name="bbckhisld">{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/273047.stm|title=King Hussein dies|access-date=5 September 2017|date=7 February 1999|publisher=BBC}}</ref> At 11:50 AM on 7 February, Hussein was pronounced dead.<ref name="bbckhisld"/>

Hussein's flag-draped [[coffin]], accompanied by [[Honor guard|honor guard troops]] wearing [[Keffiyeh]], was taken on a 90-minute [[procession]] through the streets of the capital city of [[Amman]].<ref name="khffdasd"/> Despite the cold and windy weather, an estimated 800,000 Jordanians came to pay their respects. Riot police were stationed along the nine-mile-long route to try to hold back the crowds who scrambled for a glimpse of the coffin.<ref name="khffdasd">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/09/world/death-king-overview-jordan-s-hussein-laid-rest-world-leaders-mourn.html|title=Jordan's Hussein Laid to Rest as World Leaders Mourn|author=Douglas Jehl|work=The New York Times|access-date=5 September 2017|date=9 February 1999}}</ref>

The [[UN General Assembly]] held an Emergency Special Session in "Tribute to the Memory of His Majesty the King of Jordan" on the same day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/eed216406b50bf6485256ce10072f637/50fcab40648861c0852569430054859e?OpenDocument |title=U.N. Tribute to the Memory of His Majesty King Hussein Ibn Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 8 February 1999 |publisher=UN |access-date=1 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728142629/http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/eed216406b50bf6485256ce10072f637/50fcab40648861c0852569430054859e?OpenDocument|archive-date=28 July 2011 }}</ref> The King's funeral was held in the [[Raghadan Palace]]. The funeral was the largest gathering of foreign leaders since 1995, and it was the first time that Syrian president Hafez al-Assad was in the same room with Israeli statesmen.<ref name="khffdasd"/> Khaled Mashal was also in the same room as the Mossad leaders who had tried to assassinate him just two years earlier.<ref name="khffdasd"/> Four American presidents were present: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and [[Gerald Ford]].<ref name="khffdasd"/> Bill Clinton said about the funeral: "I don't think I have ever seen a greater outpouring of the world's appreciation and the world's love for a human being than I've seen today."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/09/world/death-king-americans-clinton-lauds-king-hussein-man-vision-spirit.html|title=DEATH OF A KING: THE AMERICANS; Clinton Lauds King Hussein As Man of Vision and Spirit|work=The New York Times|access-date=3 December 2018|date=9 February 1999}}</ref> Hussein was succeeded as king by his eldest son, Abdullah II.<ref name="khffdasd"/>

==Legacy==
===Image===
{{quote box|quote=All what we hope for is that a day will come, when we have all gone, when people will say that this man has tried, and his family tried. This is all there is to seek in this world.| quoted = 1 | width  = 35% | align  = right |source=Quote by King Hussein a year before his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/views_life.html|title=King Hussein quotes|work=kinghussein.org|access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref>}}

Hussein's biographer [[Avi Shlaim]] has stated that the assassination of his grandfather [[Abdullah I of Jordan|King Abdullah{{nbsp}}I]] in Jerusalem was the most formative event in his life, as he had witnessed the event personally at the age of 15.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} Two years later, the 17-year-old schoolboy would become King.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} Hussein inherited the throne to a young Kingdom, whose neighbors questioned its legitimacy, along with the Jordanian-controlled West Bank.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} From an early age he had to shoulder a heavy responsibility.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} The Kingdom had few natural resources, and a large Palestinian refugee population.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He was able to gain his country considerable political weight on a global scale despite its limited potential.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} In 1980, an Israeli intelligence report described Hussein to be "a man trapped on a bridge burning at both ends, with crocodiles in the river beneath him."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2007/11/22/from-the-desert-he-rose|title=From the desert he rose|date=22 November 2007|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref> Hussein was able to survive through four turbulent decades of the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] and the Cold War, successfully balancing pressures from [[Pan-Arabism|Arab nationalists]], [[Soviet Union]], [[Western countries]] and Israel.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} [[File:King Hussein inaugurating police station in Amman, 24 December 1956.png|thumb|left|Hussein inaugurating a police station in Amman with Prime Minister [[Suleiman Nabulsi]] to his right, 24 December 1956]]

Hussein considered the Palestinian issue to be the overriding national security issue, even after Jordan lost the West Bank in 1967 and after it renounced claims to it in 1988.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} Initially, Hussein attempted to unite both banks of the Jordan River as one people, but with the formation of the PLO in the 1960s, it became difficult to maintain such a policy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He was relentless in pursuit of peace, viewing that the only way to solve the conflict was by peaceful means, excluding his decision to join the war in 1967.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} The decision cost him half his kingdom and his grandfather's legacy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} After the war he emerged as an advocate for Palestinian statehood.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} After renouncing ties to the West Bank in 1988, he remained committed to solving the conflict.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} His 58 secret meetings held with Israeli representatives since 1963 culminated in the signing of the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994, which he considered to be his "crowning achievement".{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}}

Hussein's policy of co-opting the opposition was his most revered.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He was the region's longest reigning leader, even though he was subject to dozens of assassination attempts and plots to overthrow him.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He was known to pardon political opponents and dissidents, including those who had attempted to assassinate him.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He entrusted some of them with senior posts in the government.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} On one occasion before his death, he gave his fiercest critic a ride home from prison after having ordered his release.<ref name="ltnyt"/> He was described as being a "[[benign dictatorship|benign authoritarian]]".<ref name="encoleg"/>[[File:Hussein 1950s.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein inaugurating the [[King Abdullah Canal|East Ghor Canal]] in 1961]]

During his 46-year-reign, Hussein, who was seen as a charismatic, courageous, and humble leader, became widely known among Jordanians as the "builder king".<ref name="encoleg"/> He turned the Kingdom from a backwater divided polity into a reasonably stable well-governed modern state.<ref name="legofhy"/> By 1999, 90% of Jordanians had been born during Hussein's reign.<ref name="encoleg">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/1999/01/28/king-husseins-legacy|title=King Hussein's legacy|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=4 September 2017|date=28 January 1999}}</ref> From the very start, Hussein concentrated on building an economic and industrial infrastructure to stimulate the economy and raise the [[standard of living]].<ref name="legofhy"/> During the 1960s, Jordan's main industries{{snd}}including phosphate, potash and cement{{snd}}were developed, and the very first network of highways was built throughout the kingdom.<ref name="legofhy"/> Social indicators reflect King Hussein's successes.<ref name="legofhy"/> Whereas in 1950 water, sanitation, and electricity were available to only 10% of Jordanians, at the end of his rule these had reached 99% of the population.<ref name="legofhy"/> In 1960 only 33% of Jordanians were literate; by 1996 this number had climbed to 85.5%.<ref name="legofhy"/> In 1961 the average Jordanian consumed a daily intake of 2,198 calories; by 1992 this figure had increased by 37.5% to reach 3,022 calories.<ref name="legofhy"/> UNICEF statistics show that between 1981 and 1991, Jordan had achieved the world's fastest annual rate of decline in infant mortality{{snd}}from 70 deaths per 1,000 births in 1981 to 37 per 1,000 in 1991, a drop of over 47%.<ref name="legofhy">{{cite web|url=http://www.petra.gov.jo/Public/English.aspx?lang=2&Site_ID=1&Page_ID=496|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110711232226/http://petra.gov.jo/Public/English.aspx?lang=2&Site_ID=1&Page_ID=496|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 July 2011|title=King Hussein Bin Talal 1935–1999|agency=Petra News Agency|access-date=4 September 2017|date=1 January 2010}}</ref>

Hussein established the Al-Amal medical center in 1997, a clinic specializing in cancer treatment in Jordan.<ref name="JT1K"/> Renamed in 2002 to the [[King Hussein Cancer Center]] in honor of the late King, the center is a leading medical facility in the region, treating around 4,000 patients each year.<ref name="JT1K">{{cite web|url=http://jordantimes.com/news/local/expansion-khcc-put-centre-regional-map-%E2%80%94-director|title=Expansion of KHCC to put centre on regional map – director|work=The Jordan Times|access-date=13 September 2017|date=19 June 2017}}</ref>

===Criticism===
[[File:King Hussein of Jordan dancing dabkeh with bedouins, 1960.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein dancing the [[dabkeh]] with [[Bedouins]] in the Jordanian [[Badia (region)|Badia]], 1960]]

The King disliked paperwork, and had no solid view for the economy.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He was dubbed the "fundraiser-in-chief": throughout his reign he managed to obtain foreign aid from different sources, leaving a legacy of a foreign aid-dependent Jordan.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} He obtained British aid in the early 1950s, American aid from 1957 onwards, Gulf aid in the 1960s and 1970s, Arab League and Iraqi aid in the early 1980s, and, after formalizing peace with Israel, American aid in the 1990s.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}}

He was also seen as too lenient toward some ministers who were alleged to be corrupt.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=473}} After establishing peace with Israel in 1994 he faced mounting opposition to the deal, with opponents concentrating their criticism on him.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=609–616}} The King reacted by introducing restrictions on freedom of speech, and changing the parliamentary electoral law into the one-man, one-vote system in a bid to increase representation of independent regime loyalists and tribal groups at the expense of Islamist and partisan candidates.<ref name="encoleg"/> The moves impeded Jordan's path towards democracy that had started in 1956 and resumed in 1989.<ref name="encoleg"/>

In 1977, [[Bob Woodward]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that King Hussein received funds from the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] for 20 years. This money was used by the King to establish an intelligence service but was nevertheless criticized for being handled away from the government's supervision.{{sfn|Shlaim|2009|p=151}}

==Personal life==
===Marriages and children===
[[File:1955-king-hussein-and-queen-dina.jpg|thumb|King Hussein and Queen Dina at their wedding on 19 April 1955 at Raghadan Palace]]
[[File:King Hussein and Princess Muna with sons 1964.jpg|thumb|King Hussein and [[Princess Muna Al Hussein|Princess Muna]] with their sons [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Prince Abdullah]] and [[Prince Faisal bin Hussein|Prince Faisal]] in 1964]]
[[File:King Hussein of Jordan preparing to fly a Vampire aircraft in 1955.jpg|thumb|right|Hussein preparing to fly a [[de Havilland Vampire]] aircraft, 1 January 1955]]
King Hussein was less than seventeen years old, and unmarried, when he came to the throne of Jordan in 1952. He married four times. He had twelve acknowledged children, and one alleged illegitimate child. His wives and children were:
* [[Dina bint Abdul-Hamid|Sharifa Dina bint Abdul-Hamid]] (1929–2019),<ref>{{cite magazine |date=1955-05-02 |title=Milestones, may 2, 1955 |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,866318,00.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref> on 19 April 1955. She was an Egyptian-born third cousin of King Hussein's father, [[Talal of Jordan|King Talal]]. She was a member of the [[Hashemite]] family like Hussein and a graduate of [[Cambridge University]] and former lecturer in [[English literature]] at [[Cairo University]]. The marriage was arranged. They separated in 1956 and were divorced in 1957, at which time Princess Dina became known as Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan. She became an Egyptian citizen in 1963, and in October 1970, married [[Lieutenant Colonel|Lieut-Colonel]] Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir, alias [[Salah Ta'amari]], a Palestinian [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] commando who became a high-ranking official in the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]].
** [[Princess Alia bint Hussein]] (born in 1956). Married first to Nasser Wasfi 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-Hamid.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
* [[Princess Muna Al Hussein|Toni Avril Gardiner]] (born in 1941), on 25 May 1961, titled Princess Muna al-Hussein from marriage. They met when she was working in a secretarial capacity on the sets of the film ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]].'' An award-winning field hockey player and daughter of a British army officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Percy Gardiner, she was given the title ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Muna al-Hussein, retaining this title after they divorced on 21 December 1972.
** [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah II]] (born in 1962). The current King of Jordan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abdullah-II|title=Abdullah II &#124; Biography, Education, Family, History, & Facts &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com|date=24 September 2024 }}</ref> Married to [[Queen Rania of Jordan|Rania Al-Yassin]]. They have four children: [[Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan|Crown Prince Hussein]], [[Princess Iman bint Abdullah|Princess Iman]], [[Princess Salma bint Abdullah|Princess Salma]] and [[Prince Hashem bin Abdullah|Prince Hashem]].<ref name="khbiwa"/>
** [[Prince Faisal bin Hussein]] (born in 1963). [[Lieutenant-General]], former [[Commander]] of [[Royal Jordanian Air Force]]. Currently Deputy Supreme Commander of the Jordanian Armed Forces. Married first to Alia Tabbaa (now known as [[Princess Alia Tabbaa]]). They have four children: [[Princess Ayah bint Faisal|Princess Ayah]], [[Prince Omar bin Faisal|Prince Omar]], and twins [[Princess Sara bint Faisal|Princess Sara]] and [[Princess Aisha bint Faisal|Princess Aisha]]. They divorced in 2008. He remarried in 2010 to Sara Qabbani and divorced in 2013. He is now married to Zeina Lubadeh, with whom he has two sons, Prince Abdullah and Prince Muhammad.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
** [[Princess Aisha bint Hussein]] (born in 1968, twin with her sister Zein). [[Brigadier-General]] of [[Jordanian Armed Forces]]. Married to Zeid Juma, they have two children, a son, Aoun, and a daughter, Muna. They are now divorced. She married Ashraf Banayoti in 2016 and divorced him in the same year.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
** [[Princess Zein bint Hussein]] (born in 1968, twin with her sister Aisha). Married to Majdi Al-Saleh, they have two children: a son Jaafar and a daughter Jumana, and an adopted daughter called Tahani Al-Shawan.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
* [[Alia al-Hussein|Alia Bahauddin Toukan]], Queen Alia Al-Hussein (1948–1977), on 24 December 1972. She died in a helicopter crash in [[Amman]], [[Jordan]], in 1977. Jordan's [[Queen Alia International Airport]] is named after her. She was the daughter of Jordan's first ambassador to the United Nations, [[Sayyid]] [[Baha Toukan|Baha ud-din Toukan]].
** [[Princess Haya bint Hussein]] (born in 1974). President of the Fédération Équestre Internationale 2008–2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fei.org/news/international-sports-community-pays-tribute-fei-honorary-president-hrh-princess-haya|title=International sports community pays tribute to FEI honorary president HRH Princess Haya|work=FEI|date=19 December 2014}}</ref> Formerly married to Sheikh [[Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum]], vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of [[Dubai]]. They have two children: Sheikha Jalila and Sheikh Zayed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.princesshaya.net/hrh-princess-haya-biog|title=HRH Princess Haya Biog – The Official Website of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein|author=The Office of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein|work=princesshaya.net|access-date=9 January 2015|archive-date=9 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109234254/http://english.princesshaya.net/hrh-princess-haya-biog|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** [[Prince Ali bin Hussein]] (born in 1975). Married to Rym Brahimi now known as [[Princess Rym al-Ali]]. They have two children, Princess Jalilah and Prince Abdullah.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
** [[Abir Muhaisen]], (born in 1972, adopted by Hussein and Alia in 1976).<ref name="khbiwa"/>
* [[Queen Noor of Jordan|Lisa Najeeb Halaby]] (born in 1951), renamed Queen Noor Al-Hussein on her conversion to Islam, married in [[Amman]] on 15 June 1978.<ref name="khbiwa"/> An Arab-American of Syrian descent, daughter of [[Najeeb Halaby]].
** [[Hamzah bin Hussein]] (born in 1980).<ref name="khbiwa"/> Married first to [[Princess Noor bint Asem]], third daughter of [[Prince Asem bin Nayef]], by his first wife, Princess Firouzeh Vokhshouri. Princess Noor became Princess Noor al-Hamzah upon her marriage. Together they have a daughter, Princess Haya. They divorced in 2009. He remarried in 2012 to [[Princess Basmah Bani Ahmad]] (''née'' Al-Outom); they have four daughters and two sons: Princess Zein, Princess Noor, Princess Badiya, Princess Nafisa, Prince Hussein and Prince Muhammad.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
** [[Prince Hashim bin Hussein]] (born in 1981). Married to Princess Fahdah (''née'' Abunayyan). They have three daughters and two sons: Princess Halaah, Princess Rayet Al-Noor, Princess Fatima Al-Alia, Prince Hussein Haidara and Prince Mohammad Al Hassan.<ref name="khbiwa"/>
** [[Princess Iman bint Hussein]] (born in 1983).<ref name="khbiwa"/> Married to Zaid Azmi Mirza, together they have a son, Omar.
** [[Princess Raiyah bint Hussein]] (born in 1986).<ref name="khbiwa"/> Married to Faris Ned Donovan.

From an affair with the American Jewish actress [[Susan Cabot]], Hussein allegedly had an illegitimate son, Timothy, in 1964. Susan and Timothy were supported for many years out of the Jordanian royal [[privy purse]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barker |first1=Mayerene |title=Defendant May Be Son of Hussein, Lawyer Says : Accused of Murdering Actress Mother in '86 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-13-me-1664-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=15 December 2019 |date=13 April 1989}}</ref> In 1986, Timothy killed his mother. He served a prison sentence for [[involuntary manslaughter]] and died in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-cia-documents-show-jordans-king-hussein-had-lovechild-with-american-jewish-actress-533557|title = New CIA documents show Jordan's King Hussein had lovechild with American Jewish actress| newspaper=The Jerusalem Post &#124; Jpost.com }}</ref>

===Interests===
Hussein was an enthusiastic [[ham radio]] operator and an Honorary Member of The [[Radio Society of Harrow]] and a life member of the [[American Radio Relay League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive/ARLX001/1999|title=In Memory of JY1|access-date=22 November 2014}}</ref> He was popular in the amateur radio community and insisted that fellow operators refer to him without his title.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://g3efx.org.uk/silentkeys/jy1/|title=The Radio Society of Harrow – Dedication to JY1|work=Radio Society of Harrow |date=12 January 2014 |publisher=G3EFX|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425160718/https://g3efx.org.uk/silentkeys/jy1/|access-date=5 March 2015|archive-date=25 April 2016}}.</ref> His call sign was JY1, which inspired the name for Jordan's first [[cube-sat]] satellite, the [[JY1-SAT]], which was launched in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/crown-prince-announces-launch-first-jordanian-mini-satellite|title=Crown Prince announces launch of first Jordanian mini satellite|work=The Jordan Times|date=3 December 2018|access-date=4 December 2018}}</ref>

Hussein was a trained pilot, flying both airplanes and helicopters as a hobby.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In a 1999 interview [[Henry Kissinger]] described being flown by Hussein, saying that "...he was a daring pilot, and he would be zooming along at treetop level, and my wife, in order to be politely insistent would say, 'You know I didn't know helicopters could fly so low.' 'Oh!' said the King, 'They can fly lower!' and went below tree top level just skimming along on the ground. That really aged me rapidly."<ref name="ReferenceA">Nightline: Hussein of Jordan, ABC Evening News for Friday, 5 February 1999</ref>

Hussein was also an avid fan of motorcycles.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The cover of the paperback version of Queen Noor's book ''[[Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life]]'' features a photo of the King and Queen riding a [[Harley-Davidson]] motorcycle.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The King was also a fan of race-car driving, water sports, skiing, and tennis.<ref name="khbiwa"/>

==Military ranks==
King Hussein I bin Talal I held the following ranks:
* {{flag|Jordan}}:
** {{flagicon|JOR|naval}} [[Admiral of the Fleet]], [[Royal Jordanian Navy]].
** {{flagicon|JOR|army}} [[Field Marshal]], [[Royal Jordanian Army]].
** {{flagicon|JOR|air force}} [[Marshal of the Air Force]], [[Royal Jordanian Air Force]].
* {{flag|Egypt|1952}}:
** {{flagicon|EGY|army}} Honorary Field Marshal of the [[Egyptian Army]] – 21 February 1955.
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}:
** {{flagicon|UK| air force}} Honorary Air Chief Marshal of the [[Royal Air Force]] – 19 July 1966<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=44057 |date=15 July 1966 |page=8135 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{Hashemites}}

==Writings==
* {{cite book|author=Hussein of Jordan|title=Uneasy Lies the Head|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DgRuAAAAMAAJ|year=1962|publisher=B. Geis Associates}}
* {{cite book|author=Hussein of Jordan|title=My War with Israel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZRtAAAAMAAJ|year=1969|publisher=Morrow}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
* [[King Abdullah II]]
* [[Hashemites]]
* [[List of kings of Jordan]]
* [[List of things named after King Hussein]]
* [[List of covers of Time magazine (1960s)]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Ashton, Nigel (2008). ''King Hussein of Jordan: A Political Life'' (Yale University Press); [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IDZMA6/ excerpt].
* {{cite book | last = Dann | first = Uriel | title = King Hussein and the Challenge of Arab Radicalism | year = 1989 | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 978-0-19-536121-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JmYBHBTwzYQC }}
* {{Citation |last=Hiro |first=Dilip |title=The Essential Middle East: A Comprehensive Guide |year=2003 |publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers |isbn=0-7867-1269-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/essentialmiddlee00hiro }}
* {{cite book | last = Pearson | first = Ivan L. G.| title = In the Name of Oil: Anglo-American Relations in the Middle East, 1950–1958 | date = 2010 | publisher = Sussex Academic Press | isbn = 978-1-84519-388-1 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xZT4SvjiTuYC&pg=PA94 }}
* {{cite book| last = Salibi | first = Kamal | author-link = Kamal Salibi | title = The Modern History of Jordan | year= 1998| publisher = I.B. Tauris | isbn = 978-1860643316 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7zdi2sCuIh8C}}
* {{cite book| last = Shlaim | first = Avi | author-link = Avi Shlaim | title = Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace | date = 2009 | publisher = Vintage Books | isbn = 978-1400078288 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JtrCoUf7wCsC }}
* {{cite book | last = Yitzhak | first = Ronen | title=Abdullah Al-Tall, Arab Legion Officer: Arab Nationalism and Opposition to the Hashemite Regime | year = 2012 | publisher = Sussex Academic Press | isbn=978-1-84519-408-6 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=D8H-zVfINWIC&pg=PA122 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hussein I of Jordan}}
{{Wikiquote|King Hussein}}
{{wikisource|works=or}}
* {{official website|http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/biography.html}}
* {{C-SPAN|7382}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V5PEcXi1qg Remembering King Hussein video]
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{{s-hou|[[Hashemite|House of Hashim]]|14 November|1953}}
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{{Succession box|
 before=[[Talal of Jordan|Talal]]|
 title=[[List of kings of Jordan|King of Jordan]]|
 after=[[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah II]]|
 years=1952–1999
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Kings of Jordan}}
{{Crown Princes of Jordan}}
{{Jordanian princes}}
{{Prince of Asturias Award for Concord}}
{{Ronald Reagan Freedom Award}}
{{Authority control}}

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