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Death and state funeral of Hussein of Jordan

{{Short description|Death and state funeral of the King of Jordan}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox event

| name = Death and state funeral of Hussein of Jordan

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| image1 = Mourners hold up King Hussein portrait.jpg

| alt1 = Mourners on Zahran street hold up portrait of King Hussein

| image2 = Royal Jordanian 1.jpg

| alt2 = 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.

| image3 = King Hussein funeral in Amman.jpg

| alt3 = Crowds of people waiting for royal motorcade carrying King Hussein's coffin

| image4 = King Hussein funeral in Amman motorcade.jpg

| alt4 = Mourners line up along Zahran street in Amman on 8 February 1999 as royal motorcade transports King's coffin

| footer = Top to bottom, left to right:

  1. Mourners on Zahran street hold up portrait of King Hussein
  2. 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
  3. Crowds of people waiting for royal motorcade carrying King Hussein's coffin
  4. Mourners line up along Zahran street in Amman on 8 February 1999 as royal motorcade transports King's coffin

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| date = {{ubl|{{Start date|df=yes|1999|02|07}}, at 11:43 (AST) (death)|{{Start date|df=yes|1999|02|08}} (state funeral and interment)}}

| location = {{ubl|King Hussein Medical Center, Amman (death)|Raghadan Palace, Amman (funeral)}}

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Hussein, King of Jordan, died at 11:43 (AST) on 7 February 1999 at the King Hussein Medical Center in Amman, at the age of 63. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah, and his state funeral took place in Amman the following day.

Illness

It was made public that King Hussein was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota in July 1998. Hussein's lymphoma was of a type that responded to chemotherapy, which the King had already begun and his physicians were optimistic he could be cured.

On his way back to Jordan in January 1999 after six months of treatment in the US, Hussein stopped in London.{{cite web|url=http://www.jordanembassyus.org/011699001.htm |title=King to address Jordanians tonight ahead of Tuesday return |publisher=Jordanembassyus.org |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 }} Doctors advised him to rest and stay in England for a few weeks, as he was still too fragile to travel. According to Jordanian government sources, Hussein stated that:

::“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.“Mideastnews.com; 8 February 1999

On 25 January 1999, only six days after returning to Jordan, Hussein relapsed and was rushed back to the Mayo Clinic for a second bone marrow transplant.{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/07/king.hussein.obit/chrono/chrono.html | work=CNN | title=Highlights of King Hussein's life | access-date=4 May 2010 | archive-date=12 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712220043/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/07/king.hussein.obit/chrono/chrono.html | url-status=live }}

Death

Doctors at his US clinic said that the king suffered internal organ failure following an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant. An official told Agence France-Presse, "The king is in agony. He is being kept alive by artificial means. There is no more hope."

On 4 February 1999, Hussein was taken by helicopter to an intensive care unit at the King Hussein Medical Center, west of Amman. He was later reported to be in a coma and on a life support machine after his organs failed. Outside the King Hussein Medical Center, wails of grief rose up in a crowd of Jordanians who had maintained a vigil there since the king's return. The palace sources said King Hussein's family had decided not to switch off his life support machine, preferring to let him die naturally. Jordanian television said in a news bulletin on Friday (5 February 1999) night that King Hussein was still under intensive care. Television presenters wore black and programmes about the king's life were broadcast.

King Hussein's heart stopped on 7 February 1999 at 11:43 am. Queen Noor and four of his five sons were at his side. His eldest son, Abdullah, who was named Crown Prince on 24 January 1999, was called to the hospital and, after his arrival, the king was removed from the respirator and pronounced dead.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/273009.stm |title=Middle East King Hussein's family at bedside |work=BBC News |date=6 February 1999 |access-date=16 April 2018 |archive-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706103343/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/273009.stm |url-status=live }} At that time, King Hussein was the longest-serving executive head of state in the world.[http://www.kingabdullah.jo/index.php/en_US/pages/view/id/157.html King Abdullah official website (The Hashemites)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207090300/http://www.kingabdullah.jo/index.php/en_US/pages/view/id/157.html |date=7 February 2012 }}.

The death of King Hussein was announced on local TV by a presenter in Arabic, "Believing in God's will and with deep sorrow, the cabinet tells the Jordanian people and all our brothers in the Muslim world, and all our friends around the world, of the death of the dearest among men, His Hashemite Majesty, King Hussein Bin Talal the Great, king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, dean of the House of the Prophet, whom God has chosen to be next to him and who passed to heaven at 11:43. The cabinet asks that God will be compassionate with His Majesty and that He will give him a place among those He loves. Verily we belong to God, and to God we return."{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}

Succession

A few hours after Hussein's death was announced, Abdullah went before a hastily called session of the National Assembly and took the oath of office. Zaid al-Rifai, speaker of the House of Notables (Senate), opened the session with Al-Fatiha, a prayer for the dead.{{cite web |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1999/feb/08/news/mn-6119/3 |title=Jordan Mourns King as Leaders Gather at Funeral |work=Los Angeles Times |date=8 February 1999 |access-date=16 April 2018 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305223908/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/feb/08/news/mn-6119/3 |url-status=dead }}

State funeral

The flag-draped coffin carrying the body of King Hussein accompanied by honor guard troops wearing Keffiyeh were taken on a 90-minute procession through the streets of the capital city of Amman. An estimated 800,000 Jordanians, many of them weeping, braved chilly winds to bid their leader farewell. 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.

Upon arrival at Raghadan Palace, the new king, Hussein's eldest son, Abdullah II, and the royal princes formally received the coffin. Queen Noor stood in a doorway surrounded by other royal women and watched from the gates of the cemetery as the king was buried.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june99/abdullah_2-8a.html |title=PBS 8 February 1999 (King Abdullah II) |website=PBS |access-date=26 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525064234/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june99/abdullah_2-8a.html |archive-date=25 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}

=Dignitaries{{anchor|Dignitaries}}=

Hundreds of dignitaries attended the funeral in the largest gathering of world leaders since the 1995 funeral of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.{{cite web|author=Phil Ponce|author-link=Phil Ponce|date=5 February 1999|title=Online NewsHour: King Abdullah -- February 8, 1999|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june99/abdullah_2-8a.html|url-status=dead|access-date=20 February 2012|work=pbs.org|archive-date=25 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525064234/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june99/abdullah_2-8a.html}} At least 60 heads of state and government and 15 former leaders attended, as well as about 100 governmental representatives and some multilateral leaders. In all, six organizations and more than 120 countries were represented. Hamas sent a delegation of several representatives, led by its leader, Khalid Meshaal. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, his wife Nane Maria Annan and UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura attended the funeral along with many of their colleagues such as the European Commission's Jacques Santer, NATO's Javier Solana, the IMF's Michel Camdessus and the African Union's Salim Ahmed Salim. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led the country's delegation, including Chief Rabbi Yesrael Lau and a representative of the families of seven teenage girls killed by a Jordanian soldier in 1997.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}

The funeral also brought together enemies, including the leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeh, who approached Israeli president Ezer Weizman, praised him as a man of peace and shook his hand. It was the first time that Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and Netanyahu were together in the same place, though they did not meet.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bQMxOC66jvsC&q=king+hussein+funeral+nayef+hawatmeh&pg=PA64 |title=Prehistoric Europe: theory and practice (Andrew Jones) |date= 10 November 2008|isbn=9781405125970 |access-date=16 April 2018|last1=Jones |first1=Andrew |publisher=John Wiley & Sons }}

Other dignitaries included:

A controversial absence from the funeral was that of Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien. Chrétien, who was on a ski vacation, said that the short notice of the funeral made it impossible for him to attend.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 February 1999|title=World leaders flock to Jordan, except Chretien|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/world-leaders-flock-to-jordan-except-chretien-1.190570|access-date=|website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}} This decision was criticized, since the news of Hussein's health was well known.{{Cite web|last=Crary|first=David|date=8 February 1999|title=Canada Leader Skips Hussein Funeral|url=https://apnews.com/article/89b16dbac15f16e9aaffe3b993bf822f|access-date=|website=Associated Press}}

Women dignitaries who were not heads of state were barred from attending the funeral itself; Queen Sofía of Spain only discovered that she could not attend upon her arrival. Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of State, also did not attend.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/feb/09/davidsharrock|title=Women who rock Hashemite cradle jostle for position|work=The Guardian|date=9 February 1999|first=David|last=Sharrock|access-date=18 August 2018|archive-date=18 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818182104/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/feb/09/davidsharrock|url-status=live}}

Reactions and tributes

In memory of Hussein's death, the governments of Jordan,{{cite web|date=8 February 1999|title=In A Stormy Region, Jordan Mourns Loss Of Beloved Anchor|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/02/08/in-a-stormy-region-jordan-mourns-loss-of-beloved-anchor/|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Chicago Tribune|archive-date=23 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023121932/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-02-08/news/9902080078_1_king-abdullah-king-hussein-nabil-sharif|url-status=live}} India,{{cite web|date=9 February 1999|title=Jordan bids tearful adieu to King|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99feb09/world.htm|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=The Tribune (India)|archive-date=24 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624223053/https://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99feb09/world.htm|url-status=live}} Egypt,{{cite web|date=8 February 1999|title=King Hussein of Jordan dies|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0207/hussein.html|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=RTE News|archive-date=22 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922230119/http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0207/hussein.html|url-status=live}} Algeria,{{cite web|date=8 February 1999|title=Algeria mourns Hussein|url=http://www.ahram.org.eg/Archive/1999/2/8/ARAB12.HTM|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Al-Ahram Daily Egypt|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305080623/http://www.ahram.org.eg/Archive/1999/2/8/ARAB12.HTM|url-status=live}} Kuwait,{{cite news|date=7 February 1999|title=Region's grief for 'brother'|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/274313.stm|access-date=16 April 2018|archive-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416140632/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/274313.stm|url-status=live}} United Arab Emirates, Oman,{{cite web|date=|title=Kuwait News Agency 7 February 1999 (Oman mourns King Hussein)|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=981855&language=ar|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Kuna.net.kw|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001134/http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=981855&language=ar|url-status=live}} Palestine, Yemen,{{cite web|date=8 February 1999|title=Issue 40971|url=http://www.news-bank.net/cached-version.aspx?id=hrm-259855|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907045757/http://www.news-bank.net/cached-version.aspx?id=hrm-259855|archive-date=7 September 2012|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Al-Ahram Daily}} and Syria{{Cite web |url=http://www.albayan.ae/last-page/1999-02-09-1.1060017 |title=Albayan Daily 9 February 1999 (Numerous meetings on the sidelines of the funeral)-Ar |access-date=19 February 2012 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122945/http://www.albayan.ae/last-page/1999-02-09-1.1060017 |url-status=live }} declared periods of official mourning and flew their flags at half mast.

Many world leaders expressed their condolences. United States President Bill Clinton said, "He won the respect and admiration of the entire world and so did his beloved Jordan. He is a man who believed that we are all God's children, bound to live together in mutual respect and tolerance." UK Prime Minister Tony Blair called Hussein "an extraordinary and immensely charismatic persuader for peace."{{cite web|date=7 February 1999|title=King Hussein dies|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/273047.stm|access-date=16 April 2018|work=BBC News|archive-date=30 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630134159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/273047.stm|url-status=live}} Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "With great sadness we bid farewell to you, king and friend. The peace between our peoples will be a testament to your abiding belief in a lasting peace between the sons of Abraham. Rest in peace, your majesty."{{cite web|date=8 February 1999|title=The world pays tribute|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/274215.stm|access-date=16 April 2018|work=BBC News|archive-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416140219/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/274215.stm|url-status=live}} The Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides described him as "a leader of international prestige, who contributed greatly to all efforts towards finding a solution to the Middle East problem. He was an exceptional figure, who spoke his mind and dealt with matters in such a way that Jordan, despite its many enemies, managed to survive as an independent state. He also contributed greatly to preventing war in the region."{{cite web|date=8 February 1999|title=News in English|url=http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cna/1999/99-02-08.cna.html|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Cyprus News Agency|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094612/http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cna/1999/99-02-08.cna.html|url-status=live}} Russian President Boris Yeltsin said Hussein was "invaluable to the formation of a new image of the Middle East, free of stereotypes of confrontation and enmity".{{cite web|author=Kathy Marks|date=8 February 1999|title=The death of King Hussein: 'You could feel the greatness in him'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-death-of-king-hussein-you-could-feel-the-greatness-in-him-1069453.html|access-date=16 April 2018|work=The Independent|archive-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416140300/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-death-of-king-hussein-you-could-feel-the-greatness-in-him-1069453.html|url-status=live}} Greek President Konstantinos Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis commended Hussein for having brought his country internal political stability and increased international respect.[http://www.greekembassy.org/embassy/content/en/Article.aspx?office=2&folder=279&article=3657 8Feb1999 The Greek Embassy, New York] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041224013454/http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/Content/en/Article.aspx?office=2|date=24 December 2004}} German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder expressed similar sentiments.{{cite web|date=7 February 1999|title=A Rare Kind of Courage|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-rare-kind-of-courage/|access-date=16 April 2018|work=CBS News|archive-date=2 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202202241/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1999/02/07/world/main31873.shtml|url-status=live}}

The United Nations General Assembly held a session in tribute to Hussein on the day of the funeral, as it has done for heads of state who died in office. General Assembly President Didier Oppertti and the various heads of the United Nations Regional Groups spoke at the session. Individual representatives from the USA, Israel, Egypt, Russia, Palestine, and Jordan also spoke on behalf of their own nations.{{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=Unispal.un.org |date= |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 }}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

  • [http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/ King Hussein's official website]
  • [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/274860.stm World: Middle East Final farewell to King Hussein, BBC]
  • [http://www.c-span.org/video/?120220-1/king-hussein-funeral-service Video by BBC of the funeral, C-SPAN]

Category:Hussein of Jordan

Category:1999 in Jordan

Hussein King

Hussein King

Hussein King

Category:February 1999 in Asia

Hussein, King