Hussein, ibn Talal

Hussein, ibn Talal (or Husain, ibn Talal) (1935–99) King of Jordan (1953–99). Throughout his reign Hussein steered a middle course in his policies, seeking to maintain good relations both with the West and with other Arab nations. However, in 1967 he attacked Israel in the Six Day War, was defeated, and lost the West Bank and half the city of Jerusalem. After this defeat the Palestine Liberation Organization based itself in Jordan but after a short civil war in 1970 the Palestinians were expelled. In 1990 he acted as a mediator between the opposing sides following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, but in the subsequent Gulf War Jordan was the only Middle Eastern country to give open support to Iraq. More recently he has advocated peaceful relationships in the Middle East, gaining the support of President Clinton with whom he had talks in 1993. In 1994 he signed a treaty normalizing relations with Israel, and in the same year had talks with Itzhak RABIN, at whose funeral in 1995 he spoke of continuing the peace process. He was succeeded by his son ABDULLAH II.