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