Jordan's Hashemite Monarchy: King Abdullah

King Abdullah of Jordan was the son of Sharif Hussein, the Emir of Mecca, who had sparked the World War I Arab revolt. As a result of the commitments made, the British installed him as emir of Transjordan, later changed to king of Jordon. Throughout the inter-war years Abdullah had been dependent on British financial support. He also was assisted by them in the formation of an elite force, the Arab Legion, which was commanded and trained by British officers but staffed with Bedouin troops. The Arab Legion acted to maintain order and secure the allegiance of his Bedouin subjects. It became the most professional military in the Middle East. The King along with other Arab leaders participated in the 1948 invasion os Iserael. The experienced caused the King to cchange his mind about a military sollution. The King delivered a different message to the Arabs than Nassar who was determined to destroy Isrrael with military force. King Andullah became convinced that an accomodation needed to be reached with Israel. Nasser's impassioned pleas had more appeal to the Arab public than King Abdullah's quiet voice of compromise. This flexible approach was anathema to Palestinians and many other Arabs. A group of 10 conspirators plotted to assasinate the King. A young Palestinian shot the King at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (July 20, 1951). The leader of the group was a cousin of the Grand Mufti. King Abdullah's grandsom, Prince Hussain, was at his side when he was shot.

Parents

Abdullah's father was the Emir of Mecca, Sharif Hussein bin Ali. I'm not sure who his i mother was. Arab sources tend to give greater attenion to fathers than mothers.

Siblings

Sharif Hussein bin Ali had two sons, Faysal and Abdullah.

Childhood

We have no information about Abdullah's childhood.

World War I (1914-18)

Sharif Hussein and his two sons, Faysal and Abdullah, played an important role in the World War I Arab Revolt. The British helped foment the Revolt by making pledges about a future independent Arab state. The British all made conflicting commitments to the French and Zionists. A major British offensive into Palestine drove the Ottomans out of Palestine and Syria. After the War these conflicting pledges made it hard to manage the Palestine Mandate. Sharif Hussein and his sons saw the Aran state they had been promissed as induding Syria and Palestine. The French claimed Lebanon and Syria and the British had promised the Zionists a Jewish Homeland in Palestine.

The French

Prince Abdullah in November 1920, Faysal's brother, arrived in Ma'an, then part of the Hejaz, with 2,000 armed supporters intent on raising the tribes to attack the French, who had forced Faysal to relinquish his newly founded kingdom in Syria.

British Mandate

The British prevailed upon Abdullah to take over as ruler of what then became known as Transjordan, another British Mandate (April 1921). Effectively, Turkish rule in Transjordan was simply replaced by British rule. The mandate, confirmed by the League of Nations (July 1922), gave the British virtually a free hand in administering the territory. The British explicitly excluded Transjordan from the Balfour Declaration clauses regarding the establishment of "a Jewish national home" (September 1922). This closed Trans Jordan from Jewish immigration.

Emirate of Trans-Jordan

The British recognized Transjordan's independence under the rule of Emir Abdullah (May 25, 1923). Indepemdence was codified in a treaty in 1928 (excluding matters of finance and military and foreign affairs, which remained in the hands of a British "resident"). Transjordan promulgated a constitution (April 1928).

Independent Country

Jordon achieved full independence after World War II by a treaty concluded in London (March 22, 1946). Abdullah proclaimed himself king (May 25). A new constitution was promulgated, and in 1949 the name of the state was changed to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Family

We have little information on Abdullah's family. We do not have information on his wife or ives. His oldest son was Talal ibn Abdullah .

The Arab Legion

Throughout the inter-war years Abdullah had been dependent on British financial support. He also was assisted by them in the formation of an elite force, the Arab Legion, which was commanded and trained by British officers but staffed with Bedouin troops, to maintain order and secure the allegiance of his Bedouin subjects. The British under Glubb Pasha (John [later Sir John] Bagot Glubb) helped turned the Arab Legion into the mosdt professional military in the MiddlecEast.

First Arab-Israeli War (1948)

Transjordan the day after the Jewish Agency proclaimed the independent state of Israel and immediately after the British withdrew from their Palestine mandate, joined its Arab neighbours in the first Arab-Israeli war (May 15, 1948). The Arab Legion, commanded by Glubb Pasha, as well as Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi troops entered Palestine. Despite its small size, the Arab Legion proved to be one of the most effective units fighting Israel. Abdullah's primary purpose, which he had spelled out in secret discussions with Jewish envoys, was to extend his rule to include the area allotted to the Palestinian Arabs under the United Nations partition resolution of November 1947. Accordingly, he engaged his forces in the area of Palestine popularly known as the West Bank and suceeded in expelling Jewish forces from East Jerusalem (the Old City).

The West Bank and East Jerusalem

The Jordanian English-trained and led Arab Legion was small, but the most effective Arab fighting force. The Arab Legion seized the the Old City of Jerusalem and took control of territory on the western side of the Jordan River, including the cities of Jericho, Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus. When the Jordan-Israel armistice was signed, the West Bank and East Jerusalem--an area of about 2,100 square miles--came under Jordanian rule (April 3, 1949). Rather than creating a Palestinian state, the half-million Transjordanians were joined by almost half a million more Palestinian Arabs. Unlike the other Arab countries to which Palestinians fled after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as the East Bank were given full Jordanian citizenship. Many of the refugees well after the War continued to live in camps and survived on UNRWA assistance. It is important to realize that it was not Israel that prevented the creation of a Paistinian state based on the West Bank, but the Jordanians. This West Bank and East Jerusalem territory was formally annexed by the Kingdom (April 1950). Israel and Britain had tacitly agreed to Abdullah keeping the area, but the Arab countries and most of the world opposed the King's unilateral action. Only Britain and Pakistan recognized the annexation. The incorporation of the West Bank, with 400,000 Palestinians, into Jordan, as well as a large refugee population that, on the whole, was hostile to the Hashemite regime, brought with them severe economic and political consequences. On the other hand, Abdullah did gain the Muslim shrines such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City, which compensated in dynastic terms for his father's loss of Mecca and Medina at the hands of Ibn Sa'ud a generation earlier. Access to holy sites ofthe three Abrahamic religions became a major issue after the ceasfire. Jordan had committed itself within the framework of the April 3, 1949 Armistice Agreement to permit 'free access to the holy sites and cultural institutions and use of the cemeteries on the Mount of Olives'." Jordan did allow Christian pilgrims to visit the Temple Mount. Jews on the otherhand, whatever their nationality were prohibited from visiting the Jordanian held holy sites. Tourists entering East Jerusalem had to have baptismal certificates or other proof they were not Jewish. The 1949 framework was to set up a Special Committee to arrange and overseee visits to holy places. The Committeee was, however, never formed. All Israelis, whatever theircreligion, were prohiobited from entering the Old City and other holy sites. [Gilbert, p. 254.] The Jordaniand respected Christian sites, but systematically destroyed the Jewish Quarter and its ancient synagogues. The Arab Legion used gravestones from the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives to build latrines for army barracks. [Oren, p. 307.]

Assasination

The experienced of the First Isreali-Palestinian War caused the King to change his mind about a military sollution. The King delivered a different message to the Arabs than Nassar who was determined to destroy Isrrael with military force. King Andullah became convinced that an accomodation needed to be reached with Israel. Nasser's impassioned pleas had more appeal to the Aran public than King Abdullah's quiet voice of compromise. This flexible approach was anathema to Palestinians and many other Arabs. A group of 10 conspirators frustrated by the King's more flexible support for Palestinian nationalist aspirations plotted to assasinate him. A young Palestinian shot the King at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (July 20, 1951). The leader of the group was a cousin of the Grand Mufti. King Abdullah was seceeded by his son Talal. The King's grandson Prince Hussain, who was at his side when he was shot.


Figure 1.--King Hussein at age 8.

Succession

King Abdullah was succeeded by his eldest son Talal. King Talal, however, was declared unfit to rule by parliament because of mental illness after reigning only one year (in August 1952). Talal abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Hussein ibn-Talal, who was crowned king on his 18th birthday, on May 2, 1953.

Sources

Gilbert, Martin. Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century (Pimlico, 1996).

Oren, M. Six Days of War.






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Created: June 6, 1998
Last updated: 9:31 PM 6/6/2013