Abdullah II bin Al Hussein

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein Al-Hashimi (born in 1962), is the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 1999. He assumed power to succeed his father, King Hussein bin Talal, after his death, and was inaugurated on June 9 of the same year, and this day is known as the Royal Sitting Day. He assumed the mandate of the Covenant in two different terms; The first is from the day of his birth to April 1, 1965 AD, and the second is from January 24, 1999 AD to February 7, 1999 AD.

He was born in Amman to be the first child of King Hussein bin Talal from his second wife of British origin, Princess Muna Al Hussein.
Therefore, he was a clear heir to the throne and crown prince since his birth – as stipulated by the Jordanian constitution – until King Hussein transferred the title to his younger brother, Prince Hassan bin Talal, in 1965 AD; Because of the circumstances that surrounded Jordan at the time. Abdullah started his education in Amman, while he completed it abroad. It is noteworthy that he holds a master’s degree in foreign relations from Georgetown University, and also studied at Oxford University.

He began his military career in 1980 as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, and then took command of the country’s special forces in 1994, and became a major general in 1998. It is also mentioned that he received a military education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He also commanded a number of military units in the Royal Jordanian Armor Corps; Especially in the 40th Armored Brigade of King Hussein bin Talal. He also received a number of courses such as parachute jumping, in addition to obtaining training in the Royal Jordanian Air Force that enabled him to serve in the anti-armor aircraft wing.

King Abdullah is one of the members of the Hashemite dynasty that has ruled Jordan since 1921, and its members have been inheriting power since the beginning of their rule in the name of the nobility of Mecca.
A few weeks before his death and after returning from a medical trip in the United States of America in 1999 AD, King Hussein appointed him as his heir again; to succeed him in power.
King Abdullah II is the oldest living Arab leader in power, followed in seniority by the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and then the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI. He is the guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem alike, a guardianship that the Hashemites have held since 1924 AD.

The King is known locally, regionally and internationally through his leadership of his country in a manner that preserves its stability. He is also known for his role in calling for interfaith dialogue with the aim of religious coexistence between followers of religions without spilling blood and wars. And Islamic Studies, the most influential Muslim figure in the world for the year 2016, came in third place in the same list issued by the center for the year 2018.

His reign began with a significant growth in the Jordanian economy that continued until the global economic crisis in 2008. He played a major role in the process of attracting foreign investments to Jordan and building cooperative economic relations with a number of Arab and foreign countries.
Jordan turned to gas and renewable energy to address the problem of energy costs that Jordan began to suffer from after the invasion of Iraq.
On the political level, Jordan, unlike many Arab countries, has been geared towards political reform since the beginning, when it was called the Arab Spring. The Jordanian constitution has been amended and the use of proportional representation in elections has been introduced in various ways since the 2013 elections.

The King of Jordan generally possesses broad powers.
At the beginning of his reign, he tried to restore relations with some countries with which Jordan’s relations were damaged by the Gulf War in 1990 AD. He has maintained Jordan’s relations with some other countries, such as the United States.
At the beginning of his rule, he sought peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israeli occupation, but this was preceded by a decline in relations with Hamas.
It is reported that he opposed the invasion of Iraq led by the United States and the United Kingdom, and tried to dissuade the American administration from its opinion.

Jordan intervened during the reign of King Abdullah in both the Syrian Civil War, the Yemeni Civil War, and the Libyan Civil War for various reasons.
It is noteworthy that he worked on developing the Jordanian Armed Forces by restructuring them more than once and equipping them with the latest equipment; In line with current events in the region. During his reign, the Jordanian army became able to manufacture its needs of many weapons with local capabilities.

King Abdullah has always insisted on Jordan’s position on the issues of the two-state solution, Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause, which is the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He opposed the deal of the century plan and emphasized more than once his position on Jerusalem and the Hashemite guardianship over it. Relations with Israel declined to their lowest levels in 2019, especially after Jordan made its choices in restoring some of the Jordanian border lands previously occupied by Israel, and the lack of sovereignty was returned to Jordan after the peace treaty.

his childhood

Abdullah was born on January 30, 1962 AD in Amman, to King Hussein and his second wife of British origin, Princess Muna Al Hussein (born Antoinette Avril Gardiner).
It was named after his paternal grandfather, King Abdullah I, who founded modern Jordan in 1921 AD.
It is noteworthy that he belongs to the Hashemite family who ruled Mecca for more than 700 years – from the tenth century AD until Ibn Saud’s domination of Mecca in 1925 AD – and ruled Jordan and Iraq since 1921 AD. The Hashemites are the oldest ruling dynasty in the Islamic world. He is considered one of the 41st generation of the tribes of the Prophet Muhammad through Al-Hasan bin Ali, the fifth of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, from his mother, Fatima bint Muhammad, and his father, Ali bin Abi Talib, the fourth of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs.

As the eldest son of King Hussein, he was the clear heir to the Jordanian throne after his birth under the 1952 constitution; Therefore, King Hussein appointed him crown prince. Thereafter, due to political instability, King Hussein deemed it wise to appoint an adult crown prince in his place; Where he chose Prince Hassan bin Talal for the position in 1965 AD.
Abdullah began his studies in 1966 at the Islamic Scientific College in Amman, after which he joined St Edmund’s School in England. He attended high school at Eagle Brook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States of America.
Later, the King established King’s Academy near Madaba – the first boarding school in the Middle East – in 2007 in recognition of the education he received at Deerfield Academy. Deerfield’s principal has previously hired Eric Widmer to oversee the school, which has students from all over the region and others internationally.

Achievements of King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein:

1- Update and fix

The reformist vision of King Abdullah II stems from a firm will to develop and formulate

For all national programmes, it is the product of creativity of the king’s humanitarian leadership thought to build a compelling future

For civilized development that benefits generations.

2- Education

King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein set his educational vision to make Jordan an advanced gateway in the field of education

ICT development; To enable students to keep pace with local and international needs.

3- Health

Expanding the health insurance umbrella to include larger sectors of citizens.

– Establishing hospitals such as Prince Hamzah Hospital, and others..

Providing hospitals with modern and advanced equipment to provide the best service to the citizen.

4- Economic field

The economic sector has developed in several areas, including:

– agricultural field

– commercial field

– Industrial field

– Tourist field

5- The social field

King Abdullah II cared for all segments of society in all governorates, so he made inspection visits

Multiple areas in the valleys, countryside and cities to meet his people

These visits focused on remote areas. As a result of these inspection visits:

– Direct access by the king to social conditions

– They introduced development funds such as the Hashemite Fund for the Development of the Jordan Badia

Securing remote areas with the necessary services

Economic development and optimal use of resources to raise the standard of living

– Increasing interest by the government in remote areas and making them attractive areas.