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Abdullah II of Jordan

January 26, 2023

"Abdullah II" redirects here. For other uses, see Abdullah II (disambiguation).

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein (Arabic: عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين, romanized: ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is considered a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[1]

Abdullah II
Abdullah II in 2020
King of Jordan
Reign7 February 1999 – present
Enthronement9 June 1999
PredecessorHussein
Heir apparentCrown Prince Hussein
Prime ministers
See list
Born (1962-01-30) 30 January 1962 (age 60)
Amman, Jordan
Spouse
​
(m. 1993)​
Issue
Detail
Names
Abdullah bin Hussein bin Talal bin Abdullah
HouseHashemite
FatherHussein of Jordan
MotherMuna Al-Hussein
ReligionSunni Islam
Signature
Military career
Allegiance Jordan
Service/branch Royal Jordanian Army
Years of service1982–present
RankField Marshal

Abdullah was born in Amman as the first child of King Hussein and his second wife, Princess Muna. As the king's eldest son, Abdullah was heir apparent until Hussein transferred the title to Abdullah's uncle Prince Hassan in 1965. Abdullah began his schooling in Amman, continuing his education abroad. He began his military career in 1980 as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, later assuming command of the country's Special Forces in 1994, eventually becoming a major general in 1998. In 1993 Abdullah married Rania Al-Yassin, and they went on to have four children: Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem. A few weeks before his death in 1999, King Hussein named his eldest son Abdullah his heir, and Abdullah succeeded his father.

Abdullah, a constitutional monarch, liberalized the economy when he assumed the throne, and his reforms led to an economic boom which continued until 2008. During the following years Jordan's economy experienced hardship as it dealt with the effects of the Great Recession and spillover from the Arab Spring, including a cut in its petroleum supply and the collapse of trade with neighboring countries. In 2011, large-scale protests demanding reform erupted in the Arab world. Many of the protests led to civil wars in other countries, but Abdullah responded quickly to domestic unrest by replacing the government and introducing reforms to the constitution and laws governing public freedoms and elections. Proportional representation was introduced to the Jordanian parliament in the 2016 general election, a move which he said would eventually lead to establishing parliamentary governments. The reforms took place amid unprecedented challenges stemming from regional instability, including an influx of 1.4 million Syrian refugees[2] into the natural resources-lacking country and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Abdullah is popular locally and internationally for maintaining Jordanian stability, and is known for promoting interfaith dialogue and a moderate understanding of Islam. The longest-serving current Arab leader, he was regarded by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre as the most influential Muslim in the world in 2016[3] and ranked fifth in 2022[4] and 2023.[5] Abdullah is custodian of the Muslim and Christian sacred sites in Jerusalem, a position held by his dynasty since 1924.[6] The 2021 Pandora Papers leak and the 2022 Credit Suisse leak revealed that Abdullah maintained a vast empire of wealth that he disguised through offshore companies and tax havens; the Royal Court responded that the offshore accounts were used for offering privacy and security, while the funds were a result of private wealth inherited from his father.[7][8]

Early life

 
Prince Abdullah (age 2) and Prince Faisal with their parents, King Hussein and Princess Muna, in 1964

Abdullah was born on 30 January 1962 at Palestine Hospital in Amman, to King Hussein and Hussein's British-born second wife, Princess Muna Al-Hussein (born Antoinette Avril Gardiner).[9][10] He is the namesake of his paternal great-grandfather, Abdullah I, who founded modern Jordan.[11][12] Abdullah's dynasty, the Hashemites, ruled Mecca for over 700 years—from the 10th century until the House of Saud conquered Mecca in 1925—and have ruled Jordan since 1921.[13][14] The Hashemites are the oldest ruling dynasty in the Muslim world.[3] According to family tradition, Abdullah is the 41st-generation agnatic descendant of Muhammad's daughter Fatimah and her husband, Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph.[9][15]

As Hussein's eldest son, Abdullah became heir apparent to the Jordanian throne under the 1952 constitution.[12][16] Political instability caused King Hussein to appoint an adult heir in his place, choosing Abdullah's uncle Prince Hassan in 1965.[17][18] Abdullah began his schooling in 1966 at the Islamic Educational College in Amman, and continued at St Edmund's School in England. He attended high school at Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States.[9]

Abdullah has four brothers and six sisters: Princess Alia, Prince Faisal, Princess Aisha, Princess Zein, Princess Haya, Prince Ali, Prince Hamzah, Prince Hashem, Princess Iman and Princess Raiyah; seven of them are paternal half-siblings.[19]

Military career

 
Abdullah, age 11, during a 1973 visit to Royal Jordanian Air Force headquarters

He began his military career at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1980, while he was a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces.[9][20] After Sandhurst, Abdullah was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British Army and served a year in Britain and West Germany as a troop commander in the 13th/18th Royal Hussars.[9]

Abdullah was admitted to Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1982, where he completed a one-year special-studies course in Middle Eastern affairs.[9] He joined the Royal Jordanian Army on his return home, serving as first lieutenant and then as platoon commander and assistant commander of a company in the 40th Armored Brigade.[21] Abdullah took a free-fall parachuting course in Jordan, and in 1985 he took the Armored Officer's Advanced Course at Fort Knox.[21] He became commander of a tank company in the 91st Armored Brigade, with the rank of captain.[21] Abdullah also served with the Royal Jordanian Air Force's anti-tank helicopter wing, receiving training to fly Cobra attack-helicopters.[21]

The prince then attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1987, undertaking advanced study and research in international affairs.[21] He returned home to serve as assistant commander of the 17th Royal Tank Battalion in 1989, later being promoted to major.[21] Abdullah attended a staff course at the British Staff College in 1990, and served the following year in the Office of the Inspector General of the Jordanian Armed Forces as the Armored Corps representative.[21] He commanded a battalion in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1992 and was promoted to colonel the following year, commanding the 40th Brigade.[21]

Abdullah met Rania Al-Yassin, a marketing employee at Apple Inc. in Amman, at a dinner organized by his sister Princess Aisha in January 1993.[22] They became engaged two months later, and their marriage took place in June.[22]

In 1994 Abdullah assumed command of Jordan's Special Forces and of other elite units as a brigadier general, restructuring them into the Joint Special Operations Command two years later.[21] He became a major general, attended a course in defence-resources management at the American Naval Postgraduate School[21] and commanded an elite special-forces manhunt in the pursuit of outlaws in 1998.[23] The operation reportedly ended successfully, with his name chanted on the streets of Amman.[23]

Reign

Accession and enthronement

Abdullah joined his father on a number of missions, including meetings abroad with Soviet and American leaders.[24] He was occasionally King Hussein's regent during the 1990s but this duty was mainly performed by Hussein's younger brother, Crown Prince Hassan.[21] Abdullah led his father's delegation to Moscow for talks in 1987.[24] He frequently visited the Pentagon in Washington, where he lobbied for increased military assistance to Jordan.[24] The prince joined his father on trips to visit Hafez Al-Assad in Damascus and Saddam Hussein in Baghdad (before the 1990 Gulf War).[24] Abdullah commanded military exercises during Israeli military officials' visits to Jordan in 1997, and was sent to hand-deliver a message to Muammar Gaddafi in 1998.[24]

King Hussein frequently traveled to the United States for medical treatment after his diagnosis with cancer in 1992.[21] After Hussein returned from a six-month medical absence from Jordan in late 1998, he criticized his brother Hassan's management of Jordanian affairs in a public letter, accusing him of abusing his constitutional powers as regent.[21] On 24 January 1999, two weeks before his death, Hussein surprised everyone—including Abdullah who thought he would spend his life in the military—by replacing Hassan with his son as heir apparent.[21]

The king died of complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma on 7 February 1999.[25] His 47-year reign extended through four turbulent decades of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Cold War.[25] Several hours after the announcement of his father's death, Abdullah appeared at an emergency session of the Jordanian parliament.[25] Hussein's two brothers, Hassan and Mohammed, walked ahead of him as he entered the assembly.[25] In Arabic, he swore the oath taken by his father almost fifty years earlier: "I swear by Almighty God to uphold the constitution and to be faithful to the nation".[25] Speaker of the Senate Zaid Al-Rifai opened the session with Al-Fatiha (the opening chapter of the Quran), his voice cracking with emotion as he led the recitation. "God, save His Majesty... God, give him advice and take care of him."[25] Abdullah's investiture took place on 9 June 1999.[26] A reception at Raghadan Palace attended by 800 dignitaries followed a motorcade ride through Amman by the 37-year-old king and his 29-year-old wife, Rania—the then youngest queen in the world.[26][27]

First year

As king, Abdullah retains wider executive and legislative authority than is normally the case for a constitutional monarch. He is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Jordanian Armed Forces and appoints the prime minister and the directors of security agencies.[28] The prime minister is free to choose his cabinet.[29] The Parliament of Jordan consists of two chambers: the appointed Senate and the elected House of Representatives, which serve as a check on the government. However, according to Freedom House, most seats in the House are held by pro-palace independents, and the crown's authority is such that it is extremely difficult for a party to win power solely via the ballot box.[28][29] The Senate is appointed by the king, and the House of Representatives is directly elected.[29]

 
Abdullah welcomed by US Secretary of Defense William Cohen during his first visit to the United States as king in 1999

When Abdullah ascended to the throne as Jordan's fourth king, observers doubted his ability to manage the country's economic crisis—a legacy of the 1990 Gulf War.[30][31] The king maintained his father's moderate pro-Western policy, supporting the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, and the royal transition prompted the United States and Arab states of the Persian Gulf to increase their aid.[30] In the early years of Abdullah's reign, which then ruled over a population of 4.5 million, it was reported that he frequently went undercover to see Jordan's challenges firsthand.[31][32] In 2000 he said about his incognito visits to government institutions, "The bureaucrats are terrified. It's great."[33]

Abdullah cracked down on the Hamas presence in Jordan in November 1999 after pleas from the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[34] The crackdown occurred during peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[34] The king exiled four Hamas officials to Qatar and barred the group from political activity, closing their offices in Amman.[34] The peace talks collapsed into a violent Palestinian uprising, the Second Intifada, in September 2000.[35] As a result, Jordan faced dwindling tourism; tourism is an economic cornerstone of Jordan, a country with few natural resources.[35] Abdullah reportedly spearheaded efforts to defuse the political violence.[23]

2000s

On 23 June 2000, while vacationing in the Greek Islands, Abdullah received a phone call from the director of mukhabarat (the country's Intelligence Directorate) warning of an assassination attempt against him by Al-Qaeda.[36] The plot was to target Abdullah and his family's rented yacht with explosives.[36]

The September 11 attacks in 2001 on American targets were fiercely condemned by Abdullah.[37] Jordan responded quickly to American requests for assistance, enacting counterterrorism legislation and maintaining a high level of vigilance.[37] The country's mukhabarat foiled similar plots the following year against Western targets, including the American and British embassies in Lebanon.[38]

 
Abdullah meets with U.S. President George W. Bush in the Oval Office, 28 September 2001
 
Abdullah and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Tehran, 2 September 2003

With the George W. Bush administration planning an attack on Iraq, accusing Saddam Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction, Abdullah opposed American intervention.[39] "A strike on Iraq will be disastrous for Iraq and the region as a whole and will threaten the security and stability of the Middle East", he warned during American vice president Dick Cheney's 2002 visit to the Middle East.[39] In March 2003, during a meeting with George W. Bush at the White House, Abdullah tried to dissuade the president from invading Iraq.[40] During the 1990 Gulf War, King Hussein's wariness of war was seen as siding with Saddam Hussein, which alienated Jordan from its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region and the Western world;[41] his stance precipitated an economic crisis triggered by the suspension of foreign aid and investment to Jordan.[42] Failing to persuade Bush, Abdullah broke with domestic opposition.[40] He allowed American Patriot batteries to be stationed in the Jordanian desert along its border with Iraq, but did not allow coalition troops to launch an invasion from Jordan.[40] Jordan had received subsidized oil from Saddam Hussein's Iraq at a savings of about $500 million per year, equal to American aid to Jordan at the time.[40]

The 2003 Jordanian general election was the first parliamentary election under Abdullah's rule.[43] Although the election was supposed to be held in 2001, it was postponed by the king due to regional political instability in accordance with the Jordanian constitution (which authorizes the monarch to postpone an election for a maximum of two years).[43] His postponement was criticized by the largest Islamist opposition party in the country, the Islamic Action Front (the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood), who accused Abdullah of impeding the democratic process.[43] He inherited a controversial single non-transferable vote electoral system, implemented by his father in 1991, which hobbled Islamic political parties after they obtained 22 of 80 seats in the 1989 elections.[43] Abdullah issued a royal decree before the election, introducing an amendment to the election law giving women a six-seat quota in Parliament.[43]

In 2004, Abdullah coined the term "Shia Crescent" to describe a Shia-dominated region from Damascus to Tehran (bypassing Baghdad) which promoted sectarian politics.[44] His warning received international attention, leading Abdullah to clarify that he meant a shift in political (not sectarian) alignment.[44] The king's observation was validated after the rise of Shia Nouri Al-Maliki to the Iraqi government in 2006 and subsequent events.[44]

 
Abdullah and Queen Rania (third and fourth from left) during the World Economic Forum in Jordan, 20 May 2007

Al-Qaeda in Iraq founder Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Amman on 9 November 2005.[45] It was the deadliest attack in Jordan's history;[46] suicide bombers targeted three hotels, one of which was hosting a wedding.[47] The attack killed 60 people and injured 115.[48] Prior to the attack, Al-Zarqawi had threatened: "What is coming is more vicious and bitter".[47] In 2006, Al-Zarqawi was killed in an airstrike with the aid of Jordanian intelligence agents.[49] Abdullah and Jordan are viewed with contempt by Islamic extremists for the country's peace treaty with Israel and its relationship with the West.[47] Jordan's security was tightened, and no major terrorist attacks have been reported in the country since then.[48]

Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Jordan for the first time in February 2007 and was welcomed by Abdullah.[50] The leaders discussed prospects for the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, Iran's nuclear program and violence in Iraq.[50]

Abdullah established King's Academy near Madaba, the Middle East's first boarding school, in 2007 in appreciation of the education he received at Deerfield Academy.[51] He hired Deerfield headmaster Eric Widmer to oversee the school, which has students from throughout the region.[51]

In 2007, it was reported that Jordan hosted 800,000 Iraqi refugees who fled the insurgency following the American invasion;[52] most have returned to Iraq.[53] The 2007 Jordanian general election was held in November, with secular opposition groups accusing the government of using rising Islamism as an excuse for "autocratic rule".[54] In 2008, Abdullah became the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq after the 2003 American invasion.[55] The visit was amid Sunni Arab concerns of growing Iranian influence in Iraq.[55]

2010s

Arab Spring 2010–2014

The Tunisian Revolution in December 2010 (which unseated that country's president) brought Egyptians into the streets, and by January 2011 they overthrew president Hosni Mubarak.[56] Protests in other Arab countries soon followed, resulting in civil wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen.[56] In Jordan, opposition groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, leftists, and retired army generals protested throughout the country.[57] By 1 February 2011, domestic unrest prompted Abdullah to sack Samir Rifai's government and pledge to follow a democratic trajectory.[57]

 
16 November 2012 Arab Spring demonstration in Amman against a later-revoked government decision to cut fuel subsidies

The 2011–12 Jordanian protests were driven by complaints about a troubled economy: soaring prices, widespread unemployment and a relatively low standard of living.[57] Although some called for an end to the monarchy, most protesters' anger was directed at politicians viewed as undemocratic, corrupt and unaccountable.[57] Demonstrators called for the dissolution of the parliament which had been elected three months earlier in November 2010, when pro-regime figures won a majority of seats.[57] The Jordanian monarchy was the first Arab regime to offer political concessions during the Arab Spring.[57] Marouf Bakhit was appointed prime minister, but protests continued throughout the summer; Bakhit was seen as a conservative unlikely to push for reform.[58] Dissatisfied with the pace of reform, Abdullah sacked Bakhit's government and appointed Awn Khasawneh to form a cabinet.[58] Khasawneh abruptly resigned in April 2012, and the King appointed Fayez Tarawneh as interim prime minister; it was the third government reshuffle in 18 months.[59]

In November 2012 the government cut fuel subsidies, driving up prices.[60] The decision, later revoked, triggered large-scale protests across the country.[61] The regime calmed the unrest by introducing reforms, amending about one-third of the constitution and establishing a Constitutional Court and the Independent Election Commission.[62] Abdullah called for an early parliamentary election and appointed Abdullah Ensour to form a cabinet of intermittent government.[63] In the January 2013 election, pro-regime figures were victorious as opposition groups continued a boycott,[63] with Islamic Action Front claiming earlier that election was performed in absence of actual opposition.[63] Since December 2012, the king has published seven discussion papers outlining his vision of democracy and reform in Jordan.[64]

 
Abdullah and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., 26 April 2013

West Bank

In December 2012, Abdullah was the first head of state to visit the West Bank after a United Nations General Assembly vote upgraded the Palestinian Authority to a nonmember observer state.[65] Jordan sees an independent Palestinian state, with the 1967 borders, as part of the two-state solution and of supreme national interest.[66] Jordan, the only country bordering the West Bank other than Israel, ruled it after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and lost in the 1967 Six-Day War.[65] Its annexation of the West Bank was not recognized, and in 1988 the kingdom ceded its claim to the territory.[65]

An interview with Abdullah by Jeffrey Goldberg, published in The Atlantic in March 2013, sparked controversy when the king criticized local and international figures and parties.[67] He called the Muslim Brotherhood a "Masonic cult" and "wolves in sheep's clothing", described ousted Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi as a man with "no depth" and said that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saw democracy as "a bus ride".[67] Abdullah also criticized American diplomats, some of his country's tribal leaders and members of his family.[67]

Another 2013 article in The Atlantic advised him to address governmental corruption, saying that there "is a growing perception that the degeneracy reaches the palace".[68] According to the article, Abdullah was accused of "illegally appropriating 'tribal' lands" shortly after his accession[68] and members of 36 Jordanian tribes issued a statement denouncing Queen Rania's "publicized and extravagant" 40th birthday party in 2013.[68]

Regional turmoil 2014–2019

I was asked many questions by Jordanians that were getting just as frustrated seeing that 20 per cent of their country are now Syrian refugees, the impact it has on jobs, on property, on unemployment. And they ask me, "stop the Syrians coming into the country", and I say "How?" When you have a mother, a pregnant mother with a child in the hand trying to cross the border, how are we going to stop her? Do we sort of point bayonets at these people that are running away from horrible and threatening lives? There is a level of humanity that we have to reach out to each other.

Abdullah's 23 November 2016 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation[69]

The March 2011 outbreak of the Syrian Civil War forced masses of refugees across Jordan's border with Syria—about 3,000 refugees per day in the war's early stages.[70] When asked about the Syrian conflict in an interview with the BBC in November 2011, Abdullah said that he would resign if he was in Bashar Al-Assad's shoes.[71] "Whenever you exert violence on your own people, it’s never going to end well and so as far as I’m concerned, yes, there will be an expiration date, but again it is almost impossible for anybody to predict whether that is six weeks, six months or six years."[71]

About the unrest in Iraq, Abdullah told a delegation of US congressmen in June 2014 about his fear that the turmoil would spill across the entire region.[72] He said that any solution to the problems in the war-torn countries must involve all the people of Iraq and Syria.[72] Jordan began erecting barriers along its arid 175-kilometre (109 mi) border with Iraq and 379-kilometre (235 mi) border with Syria.[73] Since then, hundreds of infiltration attempts have been foiled by Jordanian border guards who were also occupied with the flow of refugees.[74] Jordan was involved in the CIA-led Timber Sycamore covert operation to train and arm Syrian rebels.[75]

In April 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an al-Qaeda affiliate which emerged in early 2014 when it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities, posted an online video which threatened to invade the kingdom and slaughter Abdullah (whom they saw as an enemy of Islam).[76] "I have a message to the tyrant of Jordan: we are coming to you with death and explosive belts", an ISIL fighter said as he destroyed a Jordanian passport.[76] In August 2014, thousands of Iraqi Christians fled ISIL and sought shelter in Jordanian churches.[77]

 
Abdullah meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi, 24 November 2015

Shortly after Jordan joined the international coalition against ISIL in mid-September 2014, the country's security apparatus foiled a terror plot targeting civilians in Jordan.[78] Shortly afterwards, Abdullah said in an interview that the country's borders with Iraq and Syria were "extremely safe".[78] In late December 2014, a Jordanian F-16 fighter jet crashed near Raqqa, Syria, during a mission.[79] A video was posted online on 3 February 2015, showing captured Jordanian pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh being burned to death in a cage;[79] throughout January, Jordan had negotiated for Al-Kasasbeh's release.[79] The terrorist group reportedly demanded the release of Sajida Al-Rishawi in return, a suicide bomber whose belt failed to detonate in the 2005 Amman bombings.[79] Al-Kasasbeh's killing spurred outrage in the country, while the King was away in a state visit to the United States.[79] Before returning to Jordan, Abdullah swiftly ratified death sentences previously handed down to two imprisoned Iraqi jihadists, Sajida Al-Rishawi and Ziad Al-Karbouly, who were executed before dawn of the next day.[80] The same evening, Abdullah was welcomed in Amman by cheering crowds who lined along the airport road to express their support.[80] His decision also garnered international support.[79] As commander-in-chief, Abdullah launched Operation Martyr Muath, a series of airstrikes against ISIL targets during the following week targeting weapons caches, training camps and oil-extraction facilities.[81] His retaliation was praised on the Internet, where he was dubbed "The Warrior King".[82] Rumors had circulated that he personally led the sorties.[83]

During a January 2016 BBC interview, Abdullah said that Jordan is at the "boiling point" because of the Syrian refugee influx, Jordan claims more than a million Syrians have sought refuge in Jordan.[84] The king noted pressure on the country's economy, infrastructure and services.[84] "Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going to burst", he warned.[84] Jordan has historically welcomed refugees—Palestinians in 1948 and 1967, Iraqis during the American invasion and now Syrians, who make up about 20 percent of Jordan's then 9.5 million population—and, according to Abdullah, "For the first time, we can't do it any more."[84][53]

 
Abdullah meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., 5 April 2017
 
Abdullah meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Diplomatic Reception Room, 19 July 2021

The November 2016 Jordanian general election was the first election since 1989 primarily using a form of proportional representation; intervening elections had used the single non-transferable vote system.[85] Reforms encouraged opposition parties, including the Islamic Action Front (who had boycotted previous elections, including 2010 and 2013), to participate.[85] The election was considered fair and transparent by independent international observers.[86] Proportional representation is seen as the first step toward establishing parliamentary governments in which parliamentary blocs, instead of the king, choose the prime minister.[87] However, the underdevelopment of political parties in Jordan have slowed down such moves.[87]

Abdullah established a close cooperation between Jordan and the International Labour Organization (ILO).[88][89] Between 2013 and 2015, the ILO started programs in Jordan to support working opportunities for refugees in Jordan. In 2016, Jordan signed the Jordan Compact, which improved legal employments opportunities for refugees.[90]

After Donald Trump's inauguration as United States president on 20 January 2017, Abdullah traveled to the US on an official visit.[91] He was worried about the new administration's positions on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, specifically, issues relating to Israeli settlements.[92] Abdullah met Trump briefly at the National Prayer Breakfast on 2 February, and reportedly convinced him to change his policy towards Israeli settlements.[93] This was substantiated by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who said two days later that the expansion of Israeli settlements may not be helpful in achieving peace.[91] According to The New York Times, the "encounter put the king, one of the most respected leaders of the Arab world, ahead of Mr. Netanyahu in seeing the new president."[93] Senator Bob Corker confirmed Abdullah's influence in an interview: "We call him the Henry Kissinger of that part of the world and we do always love to listen to his view of the region."[94] Abdullah criticized United States' decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.[95]

On 4 June 2018, Prime Minister Hani Al-Mulki resigned from office.[96] Large protests against corruption, the economic policies and austerity plans as well as the tax increases, occurred before Hani Al-Mulki resigned.[97] Abdullah moved former education minister Omar Razzaz to the position of the new Prime Minister[96] and ordered him to conduct a review of the controversial tax system.[98]

On 25 June 2018, Abdullah made another official visit to Washington, DC. He was hosted by President Trump at the White House and they discussed "terrorism, the threat from Iran and the crisis in Syria, and working towards a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians".[99][100] In August 2018, after the Trump administration had announced to end all US funding for UNRWA,[101] Abdullah sought to replace the US funds. Jordan convened meetings of the Arab League and Western countries.[102][103]

2020s

In an interview with Der Spiegel in May 2020, Abdullah criticized Donald Trump's plans for peace in the Middle East including Israel annexing parts of the West Bank. He stated, "The two-state solution is the only way for us to be able to move forward", and noted a possible Israeli annexation of the West Bank causes conflicts.[104] In October 2020, Omar Razzaz resigned from his position due to the criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Abdullah dissolved the parliament and instructed his chief policy adviser, Bishr Al-Khasawneh, to form a new government as the new Prime Minister.[105] After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Abdullah was the first Arab leader to congratulate Biden for his victory.[106]

On 15 January 2021, Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein received COVID-19 vaccination.[107]

In April 2021, Abdullah ordered the arrest of his half-brother, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, and twenty other courtiers for what was called "sedition".[108] Hamzah's removal as crown prince by Abdullah has been cited as a possible factor. 18 other Jordanian figures were arrested as well,[109] including Abdullah's controversial former Chief of Staff, former Saudi Arabian envoy and Royal Court Chief Bassem Awadallah.[110][111] Royal family member Sharif Hassan Bin Zaid, who is hardly known in Jordan and whose father now resides in Saudi Arabia, would be among those arrested as well.[112] On 7 April, King Abdullah II spoke publicly for the first time since the alleged coup and hinted that the Jordanian royal feud was over, stating that the “sedition” that caused him “pain and anger” was now buried and that Hamzah was now "in his palace under my protection."[109][113] Abdullah also stated that the crisis began when Jordan's military chief of staff paid a visit to Hamzah and warned him to stop attending meetings with critics of the government.[109]

On 19 July 2021, during a two-week visit to the US, Abdullah was received at the White House by President Joe Biden.[114] They discussed the Middle East conflict, the battle against COVID-19, and the relationship between Jordan and the US.[115][116][117] Abdullah was the first leader from the Middle East to visit the White House since Biden's inauguration on 20 January 2021.[118]

On 23 August 2021, during a visit to Russia, Abdullah met with Russian president Putin in Moscow.[119] They discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan and a "normalization" of Syria.[120] Abdullah thanked Putin for Russia's support for Jordan and its provision of anti-COVID vaccines.[119][121]

In early September 2021, Abdullah and Israeli president Isaac Herzog discussed sustainability, climate crisis and energy in an unannounced meeting.[122] On 27 September 2021, after Crown Prince Hussein was tested positive for COVID-19 Abdullah and his wife Rania Al-Yassin went into quarantine despite negative tests.[123][124] On 10 October 2021, Crown Prince Hussein resumed his duties.[125][126]

On 3 October 2021, Abdullah held a telephone conversation with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the first contact since the start of the Syrian civil war.[127] They discussed bilateral relations after Amman fully opened borders with Syria.[128]

On 16 July 2022, Abdullah met with Joe Biden in Jeddah during the summit of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and the US.[129][130] Biden pledged additional financial assistance to Jordan worth more than US$1.4 billion per year until 2029, also to support Abdullah's economic reforms.[131]

Administrative reforms

Economic

King Abdullah proposed significant economic reforms to the country during the first decade of his reign.[132] Jordan, a relatively-small, semi-arid, almost-landlocked country, has one of the smallest economies in the region; its GDP was about $39 billion in 2016.[133][132] Insufficient natural resources, especially in water and oil (unlike its neighbors) have given the kingdom chronic government debt, unemployment and poverty[132] which led to a dependence on foreign aid from its Western and Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region.[132] Jordan embarked on an aggressive economic liberalization program when Abdullah was crowned in an effort to stimulate the economy and raise the standard of living, and its economy has improved under his reign.[132] He has been credited with attracting foreign investment, improving public-private partnerships and providing the foundation for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and Jordan's flourishing information and communications technology (ICT) sector.[134][135] Abdullah set up five other special economic zones: Irbid, Ajloun, Mafraq, Ma'an and the Dead Sea.[134] As a result of these reforms, Jordan's economic growth doubled (to 8% annually) between 2004 and 2008 compared with the latter half of the 1990s.[132] It also led to a steady increase in foreign investment by the West and the Persian Gulf countries.[136]

Abdullah negotiated a free-trade agreement with the United States, the third free-trade agreement for the US and its first with an Arab country.[137] Under the agreement, Jordanian exports to the United States increased from $63 million in 2000 to over $1.4 billion in 2015.[138] Jordan's foreign debt-to-GDP ratio fell from more than 210 percent in 1990 to 83 percent by the end of 2005, a decrease called an "extraordinary achievement" by the International Monetary Fund.[139] Abdullah's efforts have made Jordan the freest Arab economy and the ninth-freest economy in the world, according to a 2014 study by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty.[140]

 
Abdullah speaking during a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, 25 January 2013

The king launched a number of initiatives to provide housing for Jordanian citizens, including teachers and those serving in the armed forces.[141] He established awards to encourage good citizenship, including the King Abdullah II Award for Physical Fitness, the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency, the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence for the Private Sector and the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence for Business Associations.[141] To combat unemployment, Abdullah established the National Vocational Training Council and formed a committee to develop a national strategy for developing human resources to produce a skilled workforce.[141]

Jordan was dependent on subsidized Iraqi oil for its energy.[40] The 2003 American invasion of Iraq halted the petroleum supply and drove Jordan to begin importing gas from Egypt in 2009.[142] Insurgency in Sinai began when the Arab Spring spread to Egypt, where the Arab Gas Pipeline runs.[142] Since 2011 the pipeline has been attacked over 30 times by ISIL's Sinai affiliates, and the pipeline was effectively closed in 2014.[143] Jordan incurred $6 billion in losses.[143] The Great Recession and regional turmoil triggered by the Arab Spring during the 2010s hobbled the Jordanian economy, making it increasingly reliant on foreign aid.[142] The shocks hit Jordan's tourism sector (a cornerstone of the country's economy) hardest, and tourist arrivals have fallen by over 66 percent since 2011.[144][145] However, in 2017, tourism started to pick up again.[146] Growth of the Jordanian economy slowed to an annual average rate of 2.8 percent between 2010 and 2016—down from an average of 8% in previous years—insufficient to accommodate the exponential growth of the population.[132]

Jordan's total foreign debt in 2012 was $22 billion, 72 percent of its GDP.[60] In 2016 the debt reached $35.1 billion, 95 percent of the country's GDP.[142][147] The increase was attributed to regional challenges, which decreased tourist activity and foreign investment and increased military spending; attacks on the Egyptian pipeline; the collapse of trade with Iraq and Syria; the expense of hosting Syrian refugees, and accumulated loan interest.[142] According to the World Bank, Syrian refugees cost Jordan more than $2.5 billion a year (six percent of its GDP and 25 percent of the government's annual revenue).[148] Foreign aid covers only a portion of these costs, 63 percent of which are borne by Jordan.[149] An austerity program was adopted by the government which aims to reduce Jordan's debt-to-GDP ratio to 77 percent by 2021.[150]

Political

Abdullah was criticized during his early years for focusing on economic, rather than political reform.[151] A committee was formed in February 2005 to formulate a blueprint for political reform in the country for the next decade.[151] This National Agenda, finalized about nine months later, was never implemented.[151] It included incorporating proportional representation into general elections, improving the judicial branch and respect for human rights, and tackling issues related to employment, welfare, education and infrastructure.[151] The Agenda was reportedly never implemented due to conservative opposition.[152] After the Arab Spring, a new election law in 2012 was enacted and used in the 2013 elections.[153] It incorporated elements of proportional representation, and 27 of the 150 House of Representatives members could be elected accordingly.[153] A number of political reforms were undertaken to curtail some of the king's powers, including amending about one-third of the constitution, establishing a constitutional court and the Independent Election Commission and improvements to laws governing human rights and freedom of speech and assembly.[154]

In 2014 and 2016, several constitutional amendments sparked controversy despite their overwhelming approval by senators and representatives.[155] The amendments gave the king sole authority to appoint his crown prince, deputy, the chief and members of the constitutional court, the heads of the military and paramilitary forces and the country's General Intelligence Director.[156] Proponents said that the amendments solidified the separation of powers, while critics claimed they were unconstitutional.[156]

Reforms introduced in the 2016 general election led Freedom House, a US-funded non-governmental organization, to upgrade Jordan to "partly free" from "not free" in its Freedom in the World 2017 report.[157] According to the report, Jordan became the third most free Arab country, and that the change was "due to electoral law changes that led to somewhat fairer parliamentary elections."[157]

In September 2016, Abdullah formed a royal committee to make recommendations which would improve the country's judiciary.[158] The committee finalized its report, which revolved around strengthening judicial independence and improving criminal justice, in February 2017.[158] The Parliament approved the recommendations which included increased protection for women against violence and better trial procedures.[158] A new law for people with disabilities was also enacted.[158] Human Rights Watch praised the reforms.[158]

On 15 August 2017, local elections were held for municipal councils, local councils, and governorate councils, which were added by a new decentralization law.[159] The law intends to cede some central-government power to elected councils, increasing citizen participation in municipal decision-making.[159] In a 15 August 2016 interview, Abdullah described the new decentralization law as "a very important link in the chain of reforms".[160]

On 10 June 2021, Abdullah announced the introduction of a new committee of 92 members chaired by former prime minister Samir Rifai. The tasks of the committee are to modernise the political system and to propose new laws for local governments.[161] On 4 October 2021, the committee handed over its recommendations to Abdullah. The committee proposed draft laws for political parties and elections, as well as 22 amendments to the Jordan constitution regarding parliamentary work and empowering women and youth.[162] In November 2021, Abdullah ordered the government to push for political modernization. The Cabinet of Jordan submitted draft laws to the parliament following the committee's recommendations.[163] In December 2021, a parliamentary discussion on the constitutional amendment that would give more rights to women resulted into a fistfight between members of parliament.[164][165] On 3 January 2022, the Jordan parliament passed an amendment to Article 40 of the constitution, which allows Abdullah to appoint or dismiss the chief justice, the head of the Sharia judicial council, the Grand Mufti of Jordan, the chief of the Royal Court, the minister of the court, and the advisors to the king.[166][167][168] On 6 January 2022, Jordan parliament approved constitutional reforms by a majority of 104-8 including improvement of women's rights, lowering the minimum age for elected deputies to 25 and the prime minister being elected by the assembly's largest single party.[169][170]

Military

Due to his military background, Abdullah believes in a powerful military and has followed a "quality over quantity" policy.[171] During the first year of his reign he established the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB), whose goal is to "provide an indigenous capability for the supply of scientific and technical services to the Jordanian Armed Forces".[172][173] The company manufactures a wide variety of military products, which are presented at the biennial international Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX)—Abdullah is SOFEX's patron.[174] Abdullah modernized the army, leading Jordan to acquire advanced weaponry and increase and enhance its F-16 fighter-jet fleet.[175][176] The King occasionally trains with the Jordanian army in live ammunition military drills.[177]

Energy sector

 
The 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm, inaugurated by Abdullah in 2014, is the largest onshore wind farm in the Middle East.[178]
See also: Nuclear energy in Jordan

Vandalism of the Egyptian pipeline supplying Jordan strained the country's electrical company, whose debt increased substantially; this prompted Abdullah to urge the government to formulate a 10-year plan (2015–2025) to diversify the kingdom's energy sources.[179][180]

In 2007, Abdullah said that Jordan intends to benefit from its large uranium reserves by building nuclear reactors to generate electricity; the country is one of the few non-petroleum-producing nations in the region.[181] Early on, in a 2010 interview, Abdullah accused Israel of trying to disrupt Jordan's nuclear program.[182] Abdullah inaugurated Jordan's first nuclear facility in 2016.[183] The Jordan Research and Training Reactor, in the Jordan University of Science and Technology near Ar Ramtha, aims to train Jordanian students in the school's nuclear-engineering program.[183] In 2018, the country's Atomic Energy Commission announced that Jordan was in talks with multiple companies to build the first commercial nuclear plant, a Helium-cooled reactor that is scheduled for completion in 2025.[184]

The country has 330 days of sunshine per year, and wind speeds exceed 7 m/s in mountainous areas.[185] During the 2010s, Abdullah inaugurated the 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm and the 53 MW Shams Ma'an Power Plant.[186] In May 2017, it was announced that more than 200 MW of solar energy projects had been completed.[186] After having initially set the percentage of renewable energy Jordan aimed to generate by 2020 at 10%, the government announced in 2018 that it sought to beat that figure and aim for 20%.[187] A report by pv magazine described Jordan as the "Middle East’s solar powerhouse".[188]

In 2014 a declaration of intent was signed by Jordan's national electrical company and Noble Energy to import gas from Israel's offshore Leviathan gas field, a 15-year deal estimated at $10 billion.[189] The move provoked outrage by opponents, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which said that the agreement favored Israel and its occupation of the West Bank and accused the government of ignoring renewable-energy options.[189] The agreement, effective in 2019, was signed in September 2016.[189] Separately, Abdullah opened a liquefied natural gas port in Aqaba in 2015, allowing Jordan to import LNG.[190] LNG-generated electricity saves Jordan about $1 million a day, and is reportedly better for the environment.[190]

Religious affairs

See also: Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites

Our faith, like yours, commands mercy, peace and tolerance. It upholds, as yours does, the equal human dignity of every person – men and women, neighbours and strangers. Those outlaws of Islam who deny these truths are vastly outnumbered by the ocean of believers – 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. In fact, these terrorists have made the world's Muslims their greatest target. We will not allow them to hijack our faith.

Abdullah's 15 March 2015 speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France[191]

In response to Islamophobic rhetoric after 11 September attacks, Abdullah issued the Amman Message in November 2004.[3] The Message is a detailed statement which encouraged Muslim scholars of all sects from around the world to denounce terrorism, practice religious tolerance and represent the true nature of the Muslim faith.[192] The statement was adopted unanimously in a conference hosted by Abdullah in Amman in 2005 by 200 leading Islamic scholars.[192] The Message stressed three points: the validity of all eight schools of Islam, the forbidding of takfir (declaration of apostasy) and standards for the issuance of fatwas.[192] The Islamic religious consensus was unprecedented in contemporary times.[3] Abdullah presented the Message in 2010 to the United Nations General Assembly, where he proposed a World Interfaith Harmony Week.[193] The initiative was adopted, and is an annual celebration during the first week of February to promote peace and harmony among people of different faiths.[193] Abdullah also established an award, based on this initiative, for interfaith dialogue.[194]

 
The Dome of the Rock and other Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem are in the custody of Abdullah, a position held by his dynasty since 1924.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem was under Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967; it was under Hashemite custodianship since 1924, during the reign of Abdullah's great-great-grandfather Sharif Hussein bin Ali.[195] The legacy began when the Supreme Muslim Council, the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandatory Palestine, accepted the sharif as custodian of the site.[195] He restored the Jami’ Al-Aqsa and other mosques in Palestine.[196] The sharif's son, King Abdullah I, is said to have personally taken charge of efforts to extinguish a fire which engulfed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1949.[197] Jami’ Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock were restored four times by the Hashemites during the 20th century, and the custodianship became a Hashemite legacy given by Jordanian kings.[196] In 2013 an agreement was signed between the Palestinian Authority and Abdullah, replacing the decades-old verbal agreement which was reinforced by the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty.[6] Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel in 2014 following tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque between Israelis and Palestinians concerned about Jordan's role in safeguarding Muslim and Christian sacred sites in Jerusalem.[198] Abdullah met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman in late 2014, and the Jordanian ambassador returned when Israeli authorities eased restrictions and revoked a decision that prevented men of all ages from praying at Al-Aqsa—for the first time in months.[198]

In 2016, it was announced that Abdullah would fund the restoration of the Tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.[199] The Royal Hashemite Court informed Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem of the makruma (royal benefaction) in a 10 April 2016 letter.[199] The tomb had been untouched since 1947, when the British installed steel support beams as part of a restoration project which never took place.[199] It was reopened to the public on 22 March 2017 after the renovation.[200] On 2 August 2017, Abdullah donated $1.4 million to the Jerusalem Waqf, the body that belongs to Jordan and is responsible for administering the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.[201] An independent report estimates the total amount that the Hashemites have spent since 1924 on administering and renovating Jami’ Al Aqsa as over $1 billion.[195]

In 2014, Abdullah received Pope Francis in Jordan, the third papal visit of his reign.[3] The king, Queen Rania and Prince Ghazi accompanied the pope to Al-Maghtas, the site of Jesus' baptism, on the east bank of the Jordan River.[202]

Abdullah led The 500 Most Influential Muslims' 2016 list, published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center, and was third on its 2018 list.[203] Queen Rania was 35th on the 2016 list.[203]

Leaders of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre sent out a letter of support to Abdullah on 1 March 2018 after Israel shelved a proposed bill that aimed to propose new tax measures to churches in the West Bank. "Your defence of religious freedom and Your leadership, in ensuring that the Status Quo is respected and maintained, has been crucial in our ongoing attempts to guard and protect the Christian presence especially in the Holy City of Jerusalem", the letter read.[204]

Successor

See also: Line of succession to the Jordanian throne

On 28 November 2004 Abdullah removed the title of crown prince from his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, whom he had appointed on 7 February 1999 in accordance with their father's advice.[205] In a letter to Hamzah read on Jordanian state television, Abdullah said: "Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake."[205] Although no successor to the title was named at that time, the king was expected to appoint his son and heir apparent, Prince Hussein, crown prince.[205] Hussein received the title on 2 July 2009.[206]

Personal life

King Abdullah met Rania Al-Yassin at a dinner party in January 1993. On 10 June 1993, they were married.[207] King Abdullah and Queen Rania have four children: Crown Prince Hussein (born 28 June 1994), Princess Iman (born 27 September 1996), Princess Salma (born 26 September 2000), and Prince Hashem (born 30 January 2005).[9] The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum, was married to Abdullah's half-sister Princess Haya.[208]

Abdullah published an autobiography, Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril, in 2010.[209] He documents the first decade of his rule in a manner similar to his father's 1962 book, Uneasy Lies the Head.[209] Abdullah's book contains insights into his childhood and behind-the-scenes accounts of encounters with political figures.[209]

Interests

Abdullah has listed skydiving, motorcycling, water sports and collecting ancient weapons as his interests and hobbies, and is a fan of the science-fiction series Star Trek.[23][83] In 1996, he appeared briefly in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Investigations", in a non-speaking role.[210]

The king promotes tourism in Jordan, and was a tour guide for Discovery Channel travel host Peter Greenberg on Jordan: The Royal Tour.[211] In the program, Abdullah said that he is no longer permitted to skydive since he became king.[211] He reportedly motorcycled through northern California on a Harley-Davidson.[83] Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, one of Abdullah's brothers and president of the Jordan Football Association, has said that the king is the Jordan national football team's biggest fan.[83] His interest in the film industry influenced his decision to create the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in the Red Sea coastal town of Aqaba on 20 September 2006, in partnership with the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.[212] When the producers of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen decided to film in Jordan, Abdullah called on military helicopters to help transport equipment into Petra.[83] In 2016, the king honored the cast of Theeb, the first Jordanian film nominated for an Oscar.[213]

Abdullah also enjoys stand-up comedy. When Gabriel Iglesias, Russell Peters and a number of other stand-up comedians visited Jordan for a 2009 comedy festival, the king invited them over for dinner.[214] In 2013, a video of Abdullah helping push a car stuck in snow in Amman during the 2013 Middle East cold snap went viral.[215] In 2017, another amateur video that went viral showed Abdullah wearing pyjamas helping in extinguishing a fire in a wood near the royal palace.[216]

Wealth

Abdullah owns an international network of real estate properties, valued in excess of $100 million. His ownership of the properties was disguised through a series of offshore companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Abdullah's property empire was disclosed in the Pandora Papers leak, which revealed ownership of three contiguous oceanfront estates in the Point Dume area of Malibu,[217][7] and properties in Washington, D.C., London and Ascot.[218] His lawyers denied any misuse of public funds or tax evasion and stated that they were bought from the monarch's private wealth and through offshore companies for security and privacy reasons.[219] A 2022 Credit Suisse leak revealed that Abdullah owned six secret accounts, including one whose balance exceeded $224 million. A Royal Court statement said that the funds were a result of selling an Airbus 340 plane that belonged to his father the late King Hussein for $212 million, and that it was replaced with a smaller, less costly Gulfstream aircraft.[8][220]

Titles, honours and awards

Titles

  • 30 January 1962 – 1 March 1965: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Jordan
  • 1 March 1965 – 24 January 1999: His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah of Jordan
  • 24 January 1999 – 7 February 1999: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Jordan
  • 7 February 1999 – present: His Majesty the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

Honorary degrees

Honorary military appointments

  United Kingdom

Awards

See also

References

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January 26, 2023
abdullah, jordan, abdullah, redirects, here, other, uses, abdullah, disambiguation, abdullah, hussein, arabic, عبدالله, الثاني, بن, الحسين, romanized, ʿabd, allāh, aṯ, ṯānī, Ḥusayn, born, january, 1962, king, jordan, having, ascended, throne, february, 1999, m. Abdullah II redirects here For other uses see Abdullah II disambiguation Abdullah II bin Al Hussein Arabic عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين romanized ʿAbd Allah aṯ ṯani ibn al Ḥusayn born 30 January 1962 is King of Jordan having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921 and is considered a 41st generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad 1 Abdullah IIAbdullah II in 2020King of JordanReign7 February 1999 presentEnthronement9 June 1999PredecessorHusseinHeir apparentCrown Prince HusseinPrime ministersSee list Fayez TarawnehAbdelraouf Al RawabdehAli Abu Al RaghebFaisal Al FayezAdnan BadranMarouf Al BakhitNader Al DahabiSamir RifaiMarouf Al BakhitAwn Al KhasawnehFayez TarawnehAbdullah EnsourHani Al MulkiOmar RazzazBisher Al KhasawnehBorn 1962 01 30 30 January 1962 age 60 Amman JordanSpouseRania Al Yassin m 1993 wbr IssueDetailCrown Prince Hussein Princess Iman Princess Salma Prince HashemNamesAbdullah bin Hussein bin Talal bin AbdullahHouseHashemiteFatherHussein of JordanMotherMuna Al HusseinReligionSunni IslamSignatureMilitary careerAllegiance JordanService wbr branch Royal Jordanian ArmyYears of service1982 presentRankField MarshalAbdullah was born in Amman as the first child of King Hussein and his second wife Princess Muna As the king s eldest son Abdullah was heir apparent until Hussein transferred the title to Abdullah s uncle Prince Hassan in 1965 Abdullah began his schooling in Amman continuing his education abroad He began his military career in 1980 as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces later assuming command of the country s Special Forces in 1994 eventually becoming a major general in 1998 In 1993 Abdullah married Rania Al Yassin and they went on to have four children Crown Prince Hussein Princess Iman Princess Salma and Prince Hashem A few weeks before his death in 1999 King Hussein named his eldest son Abdullah his heir and Abdullah succeeded his father Abdullah a constitutional monarch liberalized the economy when he assumed the throne and his reforms led to an economic boom which continued until 2008 During the following years Jordan s economy experienced hardship as it dealt with the effects of the Great Recession and spillover from the Arab Spring including a cut in its petroleum supply and the collapse of trade with neighboring countries In 2011 large scale protests demanding reform erupted in the Arab world Many of the protests led to civil wars in other countries but Abdullah responded quickly to domestic unrest by replacing the government and introducing reforms to the constitution and laws governing public freedoms and elections Proportional representation was introduced to the Jordanian parliament in the 2016 general election a move which he said would eventually lead to establishing parliamentary governments The reforms took place amid unprecedented challenges stemming from regional instability including an influx of 1 4 million Syrian refugees 2 into the natural resources lacking country and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL Abdullah is popular locally and internationally for maintaining Jordanian stability and is known for promoting interfaith dialogue and a moderate understanding of Islam The longest serving current Arab leader he was regarded by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre as the most influential Muslim in the world in 2016 3 and ranked fifth in 2022 4 and 2023 5 Abdullah is custodian of the Muslim and Christian sacred sites in Jerusalem a position held by his dynasty since 1924 6 The 2021 Pandora Papers leak and the 2022 Credit Suisse leak revealed that Abdullah maintained a vast empire of wealth that he disguised through offshore companies and tax havens the Royal Court responded that the offshore accounts were used for offering privacy and security while the funds were a result of private wealth inherited from his father 7 8 Contents 1 Early life 2 Military career 3 Reign 3 1 Accession and enthronement 3 2 First year 3 3 2000s 3 4 2010s 3 4 1 Arab Spring 2010 2014 3 4 2 West Bank 3 4 3 Regional turmoil 2014 2019 3 5 2020s 4 Administrative reforms 4 1 Economic 4 2 Political 4 3 Military 4 4 Energy sector 5 Religious affairs 6 Successor 7 Personal life 7 1 Interests 7 2 Wealth 8 Titles honours and awards 8 1 Titles 8 2 Honours 8 2 1 National honours 8 2 2 Foreign honours 8 3 Honorary degrees 8 4 Honorary military appointments 8 5 Awards 9 See also 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 Writings 13 External linksEarly life Edit Prince Abdullah age 2 and Prince Faisal with their parents King Hussein and Princess Muna in 1964 Abdullah was born on 30 January 1962 at Palestine Hospital in Amman to King Hussein and Hussein s British born second wife Princess Muna Al Hussein born Antoinette Avril Gardiner 9 10 He is the namesake of his paternal great grandfather Abdullah I who founded modern Jordan 11 12 Abdullah s dynasty the Hashemites ruled Mecca for over 700 years from the 10th century until the House of Saud conquered Mecca in 1925 and have ruled Jordan since 1921 13 14 The Hashemites are the oldest ruling dynasty in the Muslim world 3 According to family tradition Abdullah is the 41st generation agnatic descendant of Muhammad s daughter Fatimah and her husband Ali the fourth Rashidun caliph 9 15 As Hussein s eldest son Abdullah became heir apparent to the Jordanian throne under the 1952 constitution 12 16 Political instability caused King Hussein to appoint an adult heir in his place choosing Abdullah s uncle Prince Hassan in 1965 17 18 Abdullah began his schooling in 1966 at the Islamic Educational College in Amman and continued at St Edmund s School in England He attended high school at Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States 9 Abdullah has four brothers and six sisters Princess Alia Prince Faisal Princess Aisha Princess Zein Princess Haya Prince Ali Prince Hamzah Prince Hashem Princess Iman and Princess Raiyah seven of them are paternal half siblings 19 Military career Edit Abdullah age 11 during a 1973 visit to Royal Jordanian Air Force headquarters He began his military career at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1980 while he was a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces 9 20 After Sandhurst Abdullah was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British Army and served a year in Britain and West Germany as a troop commander in the 13th 18th Royal Hussars 9 Abdullah was admitted to Pembroke College Oxford in 1982 where he completed a one year special studies course in Middle Eastern affairs 9 He joined the Royal Jordanian Army on his return home serving as first lieutenant and then as platoon commander and assistant commander of a company in the 40th Armored Brigade 21 Abdullah took a free fall parachuting course in Jordan and in 1985 he took the Armored Officer s Advanced Course at Fort Knox 21 He became commander of a tank company in the 91st Armored Brigade with the rank of captain 21 Abdullah also served with the Royal Jordanian Air Force s anti tank helicopter wing receiving training to fly Cobra attack helicopters 21 The prince then attended the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington D C in 1987 undertaking advanced study and research in international affairs 21 He returned home to serve as assistant commander of the 17th Royal Tank Battalion in 1989 later being promoted to major 21 Abdullah attended a staff course at the British Staff College in 1990 and served the following year in the Office of the Inspector General of the Jordanian Armed Forces as the Armored Corps representative 21 He commanded a battalion in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1992 and was promoted to colonel the following year commanding the 40th Brigade 21 Abdullah met Rania Al Yassin a marketing employee at Apple Inc in Amman at a dinner organized by his sister Princess Aisha in January 1993 22 They became engaged two months later and their marriage took place in June 22 In 1994 Abdullah assumed command of Jordan s Special Forces and of other elite units as a brigadier general restructuring them into the Joint Special Operations Command two years later 21 He became a major general attended a course in defence resources management at the American Naval Postgraduate School 21 and commanded an elite special forces manhunt in the pursuit of outlaws in 1998 23 The operation reportedly ended successfully with his name chanted on the streets of Amman 23 Reign EditAccession and enthronement Edit Abdullah joined his father on a number of missions including meetings abroad with Soviet and American leaders 24 He was occasionally King Hussein s regent during the 1990s but this duty was mainly performed by Hussein s younger brother Crown Prince Hassan 21 Abdullah led his father s delegation to Moscow for talks in 1987 24 He frequently visited the Pentagon in Washington where he lobbied for increased military assistance to Jordan 24 The prince joined his father on trips to visit Hafez Al Assad in Damascus and Saddam Hussein in Baghdad before the 1990 Gulf War 24 Abdullah commanded military exercises during Israeli military officials visits to Jordan in 1997 and was sent to hand deliver a message to Muammar Gaddafi in 1998 24 King Hussein frequently traveled to the United States for medical treatment after his diagnosis with cancer in 1992 21 After Hussein returned from a six month medical absence from Jordan in late 1998 he criticized his brother Hassan s management of Jordanian affairs in a public letter accusing him of abusing his constitutional powers as regent 21 On 24 January 1999 two weeks before his death Hussein surprised everyone including Abdullah who thought he would spend his life in the military by replacing Hassan with his son as heir apparent 21 The king died of complications of non Hodgkin lymphoma on 7 February 1999 25 His 47 year reign extended through four turbulent decades of the Arab Israeli conflict and the Cold War 25 Several hours after the announcement of his father s death Abdullah appeared at an emergency session of the Jordanian parliament 25 Hussein s two brothers Hassan and Mohammed walked ahead of him as he entered the assembly 25 In Arabic he swore the oath taken by his father almost fifty years earlier I swear by Almighty God to uphold the constitution and to be faithful to the nation 25 Speaker of the Senate Zaid Al Rifai opened the session with Al Fatiha the opening chapter of the Quran his voice cracking with emotion as he led the recitation God save His Majesty God give him advice and take care of him 25 Abdullah s investiture took place on 9 June 1999 26 A reception at Raghadan Palace attended by 800 dignitaries followed a motorcade ride through Amman by the 37 year old king and his 29 year old wife Rania the then youngest queen in the world 26 27 First year Edit As king Abdullah retains wider executive and legislative authority than is normally the case for a constitutional monarch He is head of state and commander in chief of the Jordanian Armed Forces and appoints the prime minister and the directors of security agencies 28 The prime minister is free to choose his cabinet 29 The Parliament of Jordan consists of two chambers the appointed Senate and the elected House of Representatives which serve as a check on the government However according to Freedom House most seats in the House are held by pro palace independents and the crown s authority is such that it is extremely difficult for a party to win power solely via the ballot box 28 29 The Senate is appointed by the king and the House of Representatives is directly elected 29 Abdullah welcomed by US Secretary of Defense William Cohen during his first visit to the United States as king in 1999When Abdullah ascended to the throne as Jordan s fourth king observers doubted his ability to manage the country s economic crisis a legacy of the 1990 Gulf War 30 31 The king maintained his father s moderate pro Western policy supporting the 1994 Israel Jordan peace treaty and the royal transition prompted the United States and Arab states of the Persian Gulf to increase their aid 30 In the early years of Abdullah s reign which then ruled over a population of 4 5 million it was reported that he frequently went undercover to see Jordan s challenges firsthand 31 32 In 2000 he said about his incognito visits to government institutions The bureaucrats are terrified It s great 33 Abdullah cracked down on the Hamas presence in Jordan in November 1999 after pleas from the United States Israel and the Palestinian Authority 34 The crackdown occurred during peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority 34 The king exiled four Hamas officials to Qatar and barred the group from political activity closing their offices in Amman 34 The peace talks collapsed into a violent Palestinian uprising the Second Intifada in September 2000 35 As a result Jordan faced dwindling tourism tourism is an economic cornerstone of Jordan a country with few natural resources 35 Abdullah reportedly spearheaded efforts to defuse the political violence 23 2000s Edit On 23 June 2000 while vacationing in the Greek Islands Abdullah received a phone call from the director of mukhabarat the country s Intelligence Directorate warning of an assassination attempt against him by Al Qaeda 36 The plot was to target Abdullah and his family s rented yacht with explosives 36 The September 11 attacks in 2001 on American targets were fiercely condemned by Abdullah 37 Jordan responded quickly to American requests for assistance enacting counterterrorism legislation and maintaining a high level of vigilance 37 The country s mukhabarat foiled similar plots the following year against Western targets including the American and British embassies in Lebanon 38 Abdullah meets with U S President George W Bush in the Oval Office 28 September 2001 Abdullah and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Tehran 2 September 2003 With the George W Bush administration planning an attack on Iraq accusing Saddam Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction Abdullah opposed American intervention 39 A strike on Iraq will be disastrous for Iraq and the region as a whole and will threaten the security and stability of the Middle East he warned during American vice president Dick Cheney s 2002 visit to the Middle East 39 In March 2003 during a meeting with George W Bush at the White House Abdullah tried to dissuade the president from invading Iraq 40 During the 1990 Gulf War King Hussein s wariness of war was seen as siding with Saddam Hussein which alienated Jordan from its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region and the Western world 41 his stance precipitated an economic crisis triggered by the suspension of foreign aid and investment to Jordan 42 Failing to persuade Bush Abdullah broke with domestic opposition 40 He allowed American Patriot batteries to be stationed in the Jordanian desert along its border with Iraq but did not allow coalition troops to launch an invasion from Jordan 40 Jordan had received subsidized oil from Saddam Hussein s Iraq at a savings of about 500 million per year equal to American aid to Jordan at the time 40 The 2003 Jordanian general election was the first parliamentary election under Abdullah s rule 43 Although the election was supposed to be held in 2001 it was postponed by the king due to regional political instability in accordance with the Jordanian constitution which authorizes the monarch to postpone an election for a maximum of two years 43 His postponement was criticized by the largest Islamist opposition party in the country the Islamic Action Front the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood who accused Abdullah of impeding the democratic process 43 He inherited a controversial single non transferable vote electoral system implemented by his father in 1991 which hobbled Islamic political parties after they obtained 22 of 80 seats in the 1989 elections 43 Abdullah issued a royal decree before the election introducing an amendment to the election law giving women a six seat quota in Parliament 43 In 2004 Abdullah coined the term Shia Crescent to describe a Shia dominated region from Damascus to Tehran bypassing Baghdad which promoted sectarian politics 44 His warning received international attention leading Abdullah to clarify that he meant a shift in political not sectarian alignment 44 The king s observation was validated after the rise of Shia Nouri Al Maliki to the Iraqi government in 2006 and subsequent events 44 Abdullah and Queen Rania third and fourth from left during the World Economic Forum in Jordan 20 May 2007 Al Qaeda in Iraq founder Abu Musab Al Zarqawi claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Amman on 9 November 2005 45 It was the deadliest attack in Jordan s history 46 suicide bombers targeted three hotels one of which was hosting a wedding 47 The attack killed 60 people and injured 115 48 Prior to the attack Al Zarqawi had threatened What is coming is more vicious and bitter 47 In 2006 Al Zarqawi was killed in an airstrike with the aid of Jordanian intelligence agents 49 Abdullah and Jordan are viewed with contempt by Islamic extremists for the country s peace treaty with Israel and its relationship with the West 47 Jordan s security was tightened and no major terrorist attacks have been reported in the country since then 48 Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Jordan for the first time in February 2007 and was welcomed by Abdullah 50 The leaders discussed prospects for the Israeli Palestinian peace process Iran s nuclear program and violence in Iraq 50 Abdullah established King s Academy near Madaba the Middle East s first boarding school in 2007 in appreciation of the education he received at Deerfield Academy 51 He hired Deerfield headmaster Eric Widmer to oversee the school which has students from throughout the region 51 In 2007 it was reported that Jordan hosted 800 000 Iraqi refugees who fled the insurgency following the American invasion 52 most have returned to Iraq 53 The 2007 Jordanian general election was held in November with secular opposition groups accusing the government of using rising Islamism as an excuse for autocratic rule 54 In 2008 Abdullah became the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq after the 2003 American invasion 55 The visit was amid Sunni Arab concerns of growing Iranian influence in Iraq 55 2010s Edit Arab Spring 2010 2014 Edit The Tunisian Revolution in December 2010 which unseated that country s president brought Egyptians into the streets and by January 2011 they overthrew president Hosni Mubarak 56 Protests in other Arab countries soon followed resulting in civil wars in Libya Syria and Yemen 56 In Jordan opposition groups including the Muslim Brotherhood leftists and retired army generals protested throughout the country 57 By 1 February 2011 domestic unrest prompted Abdullah to sack Samir Rifai s government and pledge to follow a democratic trajectory 57 16 November 2012 Arab Spring demonstration in Amman against a later revoked government decision to cut fuel subsidies The 2011 12 Jordanian protests were driven by complaints about a troubled economy soaring prices widespread unemployment and a relatively low standard of living 57 Although some called for an end to the monarchy most protesters anger was directed at politicians viewed as undemocratic corrupt and unaccountable 57 Demonstrators called for the dissolution of the parliament which had been elected three months earlier in November 2010 when pro regime figures won a majority of seats 57 The Jordanian monarchy was the first Arab regime to offer political concessions during the Arab Spring 57 Marouf Bakhit was appointed prime minister but protests continued throughout the summer Bakhit was seen as a conservative unlikely to push for reform 58 Dissatisfied with the pace of reform Abdullah sacked Bakhit s government and appointed Awn Khasawneh to form a cabinet 58 Khasawneh abruptly resigned in April 2012 and the King appointed Fayez Tarawneh as interim prime minister it was the third government reshuffle in 18 months 59 In November 2012 the government cut fuel subsidies driving up prices 60 The decision later revoked triggered large scale protests across the country 61 The regime calmed the unrest by introducing reforms amending about one third of the constitution and establishing a Constitutional Court and the Independent Election Commission 62 Abdullah called for an early parliamentary election and appointed Abdullah Ensour to form a cabinet of intermittent government 63 In the January 2013 election pro regime figures were victorious as opposition groups continued a boycott 63 with Islamic Action Front claiming earlier that election was performed in absence of actual opposition 63 Since December 2012 the king has published seven discussion papers outlining his vision of democracy and reform in Jordan 64 Abdullah and U S President Barack Obama in Washington D C 26 April 2013 West Bank Edit In December 2012 Abdullah was the first head of state to visit the West Bank after a United Nations General Assembly vote upgraded the Palestinian Authority to a nonmember observer state 65 Jordan sees an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders as part of the two state solution and of supreme national interest 66 Jordan the only country bordering the West Bank other than Israel ruled it after the 1948 Arab Israeli War and lost in the 1967 Six Day War 65 Its annexation of the West Bank was not recognized and in 1988 the kingdom ceded its claim to the territory 65 An interview with Abdullah by Jeffrey Goldberg published in The Atlantic in March 2013 sparked controversy when the king criticized local and international figures and parties 67 He called the Muslim Brotherhood a Masonic cult and wolves in sheep s clothing described ousted Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi as a man with no depth and said that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saw democracy as a bus ride 67 Abdullah also criticized American diplomats some of his country s tribal leaders and members of his family 67 Another 2013 article in The Atlantic advised him to address governmental corruption saying that there is a growing perception that the degeneracy reaches the palace 68 According to the article Abdullah was accused of illegally appropriating tribal lands shortly after his accession 68 and members of 36 Jordanian tribes issued a statement denouncing Queen Rania s publicized and extravagant 40th birthday party in 2013 68 Regional turmoil 2014 2019 Edit I was asked many questions by Jordanians that were getting just as frustrated seeing that 20 per cent of their country are now Syrian refugees the impact it has on jobs on property on unemployment And they ask me stop the Syrians coming into the country and I say How When you have a mother a pregnant mother with a child in the hand trying to cross the border how are we going to stop her Do we sort of point bayonets at these people that are running away from horrible and threatening lives There is a level of humanity that we have to reach out to each other Abdullah s 23 November 2016 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 69 The March 2011 outbreak of the Syrian Civil War forced masses of refugees across Jordan s border with Syria about 3 000 refugees per day in the war s early stages 70 When asked about the Syrian conflict in an interview with the BBC in November 2011 Abdullah said that he would resign if he was in Bashar Al Assad s shoes 71 Whenever you exert violence on your own people it s never going to end well and so as far as I m concerned yes there will be an expiration date but again it is almost impossible for anybody to predict whether that is six weeks six months or six years 71 About the unrest in Iraq Abdullah told a delegation of US congressmen in June 2014 about his fear that the turmoil would spill across the entire region 72 He said that any solution to the problems in the war torn countries must involve all the people of Iraq and Syria 72 Jordan began erecting barriers along its arid 175 kilometre 109 mi border with Iraq and 379 kilometre 235 mi border with Syria 73 Since then hundreds of infiltration attempts have been foiled by Jordanian border guards who were also occupied with the flow of refugees 74 Jordan was involved in the CIA led Timber Sycamore covert operation to train and arm Syrian rebels 75 In April 2014 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL an al Qaeda affiliate which emerged in early 2014 when it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities posted an online video which threatened to invade the kingdom and slaughter Abdullah whom they saw as an enemy of Islam 76 I have a message to the tyrant of Jordan we are coming to you with death and explosive belts an ISIL fighter said as he destroyed a Jordanian passport 76 In August 2014 thousands of Iraqi Christians fled ISIL and sought shelter in Jordanian churches 77 Abdullah meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi 24 November 2015 Shortly after Jordan joined the international coalition against ISIL in mid September 2014 the country s security apparatus foiled a terror plot targeting civilians in Jordan 78 Shortly afterwards Abdullah said in an interview that the country s borders with Iraq and Syria were extremely safe 78 In late December 2014 a Jordanian F 16 fighter jet crashed near Raqqa Syria during a mission 79 A video was posted online on 3 February 2015 showing captured Jordanian pilot Muath Al Kasasbeh being burned to death in a cage 79 throughout January Jordan had negotiated for Al Kasasbeh s release 79 The terrorist group reportedly demanded the release of Sajida Al Rishawi in return a suicide bomber whose belt failed to detonate in the 2005 Amman bombings 79 Al Kasasbeh s killing spurred outrage in the country while the King was away in a state visit to the United States 79 Before returning to Jordan Abdullah swiftly ratified death sentences previously handed down to two imprisoned Iraqi jihadists Sajida Al Rishawi and Ziad Al Karbouly who were executed before dawn of the next day 80 The same evening Abdullah was welcomed in Amman by cheering crowds who lined along the airport road to express their support 80 His decision also garnered international support 79 As commander in chief Abdullah launched Operation Martyr Muath a series of airstrikes against ISIL targets during the following week targeting weapons caches training camps and oil extraction facilities 81 His retaliation was praised on the Internet where he was dubbed The Warrior King 82 Rumors had circulated that he personally led the sorties 83 During a January 2016 BBC interview Abdullah said that Jordan is at the boiling point because of the Syrian refugee influx Jordan claims more than a million Syrians have sought refuge in Jordan 84 The king noted pressure on the country s economy infrastructure and services 84 Sooner or later I think the dam is going to burst he warned 84 Jordan has historically welcomed refugees Palestinians in 1948 and 1967 Iraqis during the American invasion and now Syrians who make up about 20 percent of Jordan s then 9 5 million population and according to Abdullah For the first time we can t do it any more 84 53 Abdullah meets with U S President Donald Trump in Washington D C 5 April 2017 Abdullah meets with U S President Joe Biden in the Diplomatic Reception Room 19 July 2021 The November 2016 Jordanian general election was the first election since 1989 primarily using a form of proportional representation intervening elections had used the single non transferable vote system 85 Reforms encouraged opposition parties including the Islamic Action Front who had boycotted previous elections including 2010 and 2013 to participate 85 The election was considered fair and transparent by independent international observers 86 Proportional representation is seen as the first step toward establishing parliamentary governments in which parliamentary blocs instead of the king choose the prime minister 87 However the underdevelopment of political parties in Jordan have slowed down such moves 87 Abdullah established a close cooperation between Jordan and the International Labour Organization ILO 88 89 Between 2013 and 2015 the ILO started programs in Jordan to support working opportunities for refugees in Jordan In 2016 Jordan signed the Jordan Compact which improved legal employments opportunities for refugees 90 After Donald Trump s inauguration as United States president on 20 January 2017 Abdullah traveled to the US on an official visit 91 He was worried about the new administration s positions on the Israeli Palestinian conflict specifically issues relating to Israeli settlements 92 Abdullah met Trump briefly at the National Prayer Breakfast on 2 February and reportedly convinced him to change his policy towards Israeli settlements 93 This was substantiated by White House press secretary Sean Spicer who said two days later that the expansion of Israeli settlements may not be helpful in achieving peace 91 According to The New York Times the encounter put the king one of the most respected leaders of the Arab world ahead of Mr Netanyahu in seeing the new president 93 Senator Bob Corker confirmed Abdullah s influence in an interview We call him the Henry Kissinger of that part of the world and we do always love to listen to his view of the region 94 Abdullah criticized United States decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel 95 On 4 June 2018 Prime Minister Hani Al Mulki resigned from office 96 Large protests against corruption the economic policies and austerity plans as well as the tax increases occurred before Hani Al Mulki resigned 97 Abdullah moved former education minister Omar Razzaz to the position of the new Prime Minister 96 and ordered him to conduct a review of the controversial tax system 98 On 25 June 2018 Abdullah made another official visit to Washington DC He was hosted by President Trump at the White House and they discussed terrorism the threat from Iran and the crisis in Syria and working towards a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians 99 100 In August 2018 after the Trump administration had announced to end all US funding for UNRWA 101 Abdullah sought to replace the US funds Jordan convened meetings of the Arab League and Western countries 102 103 2020s Edit In an interview with Der Spiegel in May 2020 Abdullah criticized Donald Trump s plans for peace in the Middle East including Israel annexing parts of the West Bank He stated The two state solution is the only way for us to be able to move forward and noted a possible Israeli annexation of the West Bank causes conflicts 104 In October 2020 Omar Razzaz resigned from his position due to the criticism of his handling of the COVID 19 pandemic In addition Abdullah dissolved the parliament and instructed his chief policy adviser Bishr Al Khasawneh to form a new government as the new Prime Minister 105 After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election Abdullah was the first Arab leader to congratulate Biden for his victory 106 On 15 January 2021 Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein received COVID 19 vaccination 107 In April 2021 Abdullah ordered the arrest of his half brother Prince Hamzah bin Hussein and twenty other courtiers for what was called sedition 108 Hamzah s removal as crown prince by Abdullah has been cited as a possible factor 18 other Jordanian figures were arrested as well 109 including Abdullah s controversial former Chief of Staff former Saudi Arabian envoy and Royal Court Chief Bassem Awadallah 110 111 Royal family member Sharif Hassan Bin Zaid who is hardly known in Jordan and whose father now resides in Saudi Arabia would be among those arrested as well 112 On 7 April King Abdullah II spoke publicly for the first time since the alleged coup and hinted that the Jordanian royal feud was over stating that the sedition that caused him pain and anger was now buried and that Hamzah was now in his palace under my protection 109 113 Abdullah also stated that the crisis began when Jordan s military chief of staff paid a visit to Hamzah and warned him to stop attending meetings with critics of the government 109 On 19 July 2021 during a two week visit to the US Abdullah was received at the White House by President Joe Biden 114 They discussed the Middle East conflict the battle against COVID 19 and the relationship between Jordan and the US 115 116 117 Abdullah was the first leader from the Middle East to visit the White House since Biden s inauguration on 20 January 2021 118 On 23 August 2021 during a visit to Russia Abdullah met with Russian president Putin in Moscow 119 They discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan and a normalization of Syria 120 Abdullah thanked Putin for Russia s support for Jordan and its provision of anti COVID vaccines 119 121 In early September 2021 Abdullah and Israeli president Isaac Herzog discussed sustainability climate crisis and energy in an unannounced meeting 122 On 27 September 2021 after Crown Prince Hussein was tested positive for COVID 19 Abdullah and his wife Rania Al Yassin went into quarantine despite negative tests 123 124 On 10 October 2021 Crown Prince Hussein resumed his duties 125 126 On 3 October 2021 Abdullah held a telephone conversation with Syrian president Bashar al Assad the first contact since the start of the Syrian civil war 127 They discussed bilateral relations after Amman fully opened borders with Syria 128 On 16 July 2022 Abdullah met with Joe Biden in Jeddah during the summit of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC Egypt Iraq Jordan and the US 129 130 Biden pledged additional financial assistance to Jordan worth more than US 1 4 billion per year until 2029 also to support Abdullah s economic reforms 131 Administrative reforms EditEconomic Edit King Abdullah proposed significant economic reforms to the country during the first decade of his reign 132 Jordan a relatively small semi arid almost landlocked country has one of the smallest economies in the region its GDP was about 39 billion in 2016 133 132 Insufficient natural resources especially in water and oil unlike its neighbors have given the kingdom chronic government debt unemployment and poverty 132 which led to a dependence on foreign aid from its Western and Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region 132 Jordan embarked on an aggressive economic liberalization program when Abdullah was crowned in an effort to stimulate the economy and raise the standard of living and its economy has improved under his reign 132 He has been credited with attracting foreign investment improving public private partnerships and providing the foundation for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and Jordan s flourishing information and communications technology ICT sector 134 135 Abdullah set up five other special economic zones Irbid Ajloun Mafraq Ma an and the Dead Sea 134 As a result of these reforms Jordan s economic growth doubled to 8 annually between 2004 and 2008 compared with the latter half of the 1990s 132 It also led to a steady increase in foreign investment by the West and the Persian Gulf countries 136 Abdullah negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States the third free trade agreement for the US and its first with an Arab country 137 Under the agreement Jordanian exports to the United States increased from 63 million in 2000 to over 1 4 billion in 2015 138 Jordan s foreign debt to GDP ratio fell from more than 210 percent in 1990 to 83 percent by the end of 2005 a decrease called an extraordinary achievement by the International Monetary Fund 139 Abdullah s efforts have made Jordan the freest Arab economy and the ninth freest economy in the world according to a 2014 study by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty 140 Abdullah speaking during a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos 25 January 2013 The king launched a number of initiatives to provide housing for Jordanian citizens including teachers and those serving in the armed forces 141 He established awards to encourage good citizenship including the King Abdullah II Award for Physical Fitness the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence for the Private Sector and the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence for Business Associations 141 To combat unemployment Abdullah established the National Vocational Training Council and formed a committee to develop a national strategy for developing human resources to produce a skilled workforce 141 Jordan was dependent on subsidized Iraqi oil for its energy 40 The 2003 American invasion of Iraq halted the petroleum supply and drove Jordan to begin importing gas from Egypt in 2009 142 Insurgency in Sinai began when the Arab Spring spread to Egypt where the Arab Gas Pipeline runs 142 Since 2011 the pipeline has been attacked over 30 times by ISIL s Sinai affiliates and the pipeline was effectively closed in 2014 143 Jordan incurred 6 billion in losses 143 The Great Recession and regional turmoil triggered by the Arab Spring during the 2010s hobbled the Jordanian economy making it increasingly reliant on foreign aid 142 The shocks hit Jordan s tourism sector a cornerstone of the country s economy hardest and tourist arrivals have fallen by over 66 percent since 2011 144 145 However in 2017 tourism started to pick up again 146 Growth of the Jordanian economy slowed to an annual average rate of 2 8 percent between 2010 and 2016 down from an average of 8 in previous years insufficient to accommodate the exponential growth of the population 132 Jordan s total foreign debt in 2012 was 22 billion 72 percent of its GDP 60 In 2016 the debt reached 35 1 billion 95 percent of the country s GDP 142 147 The increase was attributed to regional challenges which decreased tourist activity and foreign investment and increased military spending attacks on the Egyptian pipeline the collapse of trade with Iraq and Syria the expense of hosting Syrian refugees and accumulated loan interest 142 According to the World Bank Syrian refugees cost Jordan more than 2 5 billion a year six percent of its GDP and 25 percent of the government s annual revenue 148 Foreign aid covers only a portion of these costs 63 percent of which are borne by Jordan 149 An austerity program was adopted by the government which aims to reduce Jordan s debt to GDP ratio to 77 percent by 2021 150 Political Edit Abdullah was criticized during his early years for focusing on economic rather than political reform 151 A committee was formed in February 2005 to formulate a blueprint for political reform in the country for the next decade 151 This National Agenda finalized about nine months later was never implemented 151 It included incorporating proportional representation into general elections improving the judicial branch and respect for human rights and tackling issues related to employment welfare education and infrastructure 151 The Agenda was reportedly never implemented due to conservative opposition 152 After the Arab Spring a new election law in 2012 was enacted and used in the 2013 elections 153 It incorporated elements of proportional representation and 27 of the 150 House of Representatives members could be elected accordingly 153 A number of political reforms were undertaken to curtail some of the king s powers including amending about one third of the constitution establishing a constitutional court and the Independent Election Commission and improvements to laws governing human rights and freedom of speech and assembly 154 In 2014 and 2016 several constitutional amendments sparked controversy despite their overwhelming approval by senators and representatives 155 The amendments gave the king sole authority to appoint his crown prince deputy the chief and members of the constitutional court the heads of the military and paramilitary forces and the country s General Intelligence Director 156 Proponents said that the amendments solidified the separation of powers while critics claimed they were unconstitutional 156 Reforms introduced in the 2016 general election led Freedom House a US funded non governmental organization to upgrade Jordan to partly free from not free in its Freedom in the World 2017 report 157 According to the report Jordan became the third most free Arab country and that the change was due to electoral law changes that led to somewhat fairer parliamentary elections 157 In September 2016 Abdullah formed a royal committee to make recommendations which would improve the country s judiciary 158 The committee finalized its report which revolved around strengthening judicial independence and improving criminal justice in February 2017 158 The Parliament approved the recommendations which included increased protection for women against violence and better trial procedures 158 A new law for people with disabilities was also enacted 158 Human Rights Watch praised the reforms 158 On 15 August 2017 local elections were held for municipal councils local councils and governorate councils which were added by a new decentralization law 159 The law intends to cede some central government power to elected councils increasing citizen participation in municipal decision making 159 In a 15 August 2016 interview Abdullah described the new decentralization law as a very important link in the chain of reforms 160 On 10 June 2021 Abdullah announced the introduction of a new committee of 92 members chaired by former prime minister Samir Rifai The tasks of the committee are to modernise the political system and to propose new laws for local governments 161 On 4 October 2021 the committee handed over its recommendations to Abdullah The committee proposed draft laws for political parties and elections as well as 22 amendments to the Jordan constitution regarding parliamentary work and empowering women and youth 162 In November 2021 Abdullah ordered the government to push for political modernization The Cabinet of Jordan submitted draft laws to the parliament following the committee s recommendations 163 In December 2021 a parliamentary discussion on the constitutional amendment that would give more rights to women resulted into a fistfight between members of parliament 164 165 On 3 January 2022 the Jordan parliament passed an amendment to Article 40 of the constitution which allows Abdullah to appoint or dismiss the chief justice the head of the Sharia judicial council the Grand Mufti of Jordan the chief of the Royal Court the minister of the court and the advisors to the king 166 167 168 On 6 January 2022 Jordan parliament approved constitutional reforms by a majority of 104 8 including improvement of women s rights lowering the minimum age for elected deputies to 25 and the prime minister being elected by the assembly s largest single party 169 170 Military Edit Due to his military background Abdullah believes in a powerful military and has followed a quality over quantity policy 171 During the first year of his reign he established the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau KADDB whose goal is to provide an indigenous capability for the supply of scientific and technical services to the Jordanian Armed Forces 172 173 The company manufactures a wide variety of military products which are presented at the biennial international Special Operations Forces Exhibition SOFEX Abdullah is SOFEX s patron 174 Abdullah modernized the army leading Jordan to acquire advanced weaponry and increase and enhance its F 16 fighter jet fleet 175 176 The King occasionally trains with the Jordanian army in live ammunition military drills 177 Energy sector Edit The 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm inaugurated by Abdullah in 2014 is the largest onshore wind farm in the Middle East 178 See also Nuclear energy in Jordan Vandalism of the Egyptian pipeline supplying Jordan strained the country s electrical company whose debt increased substantially this prompted Abdullah to urge the government to formulate a 10 year plan 2015 2025 to diversify the kingdom s energy sources 179 180 In 2007 Abdullah said that Jordan intends to benefit from its large uranium reserves by building nuclear reactors to generate electricity the country is one of the few non petroleum producing nations in the region 181 Early on in a 2010 interview Abdullah accused Israel of trying to disrupt Jordan s nuclear program 182 Abdullah inaugurated Jordan s first nuclear facility in 2016 183 The Jordan Research and Training Reactor in the Jordan University of Science and Technology near Ar Ramtha aims to train Jordanian students in the school s nuclear engineering program 183 In 2018 the country s Atomic Energy Commission announced that Jordan was in talks with multiple companies to build the first commercial nuclear plant a Helium cooled reactor that is scheduled for completion in 2025 184 The country has 330 days of sunshine per year and wind speeds exceed 7 m s in mountainous areas 185 During the 2010s Abdullah inaugurated the 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm and the 53 MW Shams Ma an Power Plant 186 In May 2017 it was announced that more than 200 MW of solar energy projects had been completed 186 After having initially set the percentage of renewable energy Jordan aimed to generate by 2020 at 10 the government announced in 2018 that it sought to beat that figure and aim for 20 187 A report by pv magazine described Jordan as the Middle East s solar powerhouse 188 In 2014 a declaration of intent was signed by Jordan s national electrical company and Noble Energy to import gas from Israel s offshore Leviathan gas field a 15 year deal estimated at 10 billion 189 The move provoked outrage by opponents including the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement which said that the agreement favored Israel and its occupation of the West Bank and accused the government of ignoring renewable energy options 189 The agreement effective in 2019 was signed in September 2016 189 Separately Abdullah opened a liquefied natural gas port in Aqaba in 2015 allowing Jordan to import LNG 190 LNG generated electricity saves Jordan about 1 million a day and is reportedly better for the environment 190 Religious affairs EditSee also Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites Our faith like yours commands mercy peace and tolerance It upholds as yours does the equal human dignity of every person men and women neighbours and strangers Those outlaws of Islam who deny these truths are vastly outnumbered by the ocean of believers 1 6 billion Muslims worldwide In fact these terrorists have made the world s Muslims their greatest target We will not allow them to hijack our faith Abdullah s 15 March 2015 speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg France 191 In response to Islamophobic rhetoric after 11 September attacks Abdullah issued the Amman Message in November 2004 3 The Message is a detailed statement which encouraged Muslim scholars of all sects from around the world to denounce terrorism practice religious tolerance and represent the true nature of the Muslim faith 192 The statement was adopted unanimously in a conference hosted by Abdullah in Amman in 2005 by 200 leading Islamic scholars 192 The Message stressed three points the validity of all eight schools of Islam the forbidding of takfir declaration of apostasy and standards for the issuance of fatwas 192 The Islamic religious consensus was unprecedented in contemporary times 3 Abdullah presented the Message in 2010 to the United Nations General Assembly where he proposed a World Interfaith Harmony Week 193 The initiative was adopted and is an annual celebration during the first week of February to promote peace and harmony among people of different faiths 193 Abdullah also established an award based on this initiative for interfaith dialogue 194 The Dome of the Rock and other Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem are in the custody of Abdullah a position held by his dynasty since 1924 The Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem was under Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967 it was under Hashemite custodianship since 1924 during the reign of Abdullah s great great grandfather Sharif Hussein bin Ali 195 The legacy began when the Supreme Muslim Council the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandatory Palestine accepted the sharif as custodian of the site 195 He restored the Jami Al Aqsa and other mosques in Palestine 196 The sharif s son King Abdullah I is said to have personally taken charge of efforts to extinguish a fire which engulfed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1949 197 Jami Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock were restored four times by the Hashemites during the 20th century and the custodianship became a Hashemite legacy given by Jordanian kings 196 In 2013 an agreement was signed between the Palestinian Authority and Abdullah replacing the decades old verbal agreement which was reinforced by the 1994 Israel Jordan peace treaty 6 Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel in 2014 following tensions at Al Aqsa Mosque between Israelis and Palestinians concerned about Jordan s role in safeguarding Muslim and Christian sacred sites in Jerusalem 198 Abdullah met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman in late 2014 and the Jordanian ambassador returned when Israeli authorities eased restrictions and revoked a decision that prevented men of all ages from praying at Al Aqsa for the first time in months 198 In 2016 it was announced that Abdullah would fund the restoration of the Tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 199 The Royal Hashemite Court informed Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem of the makruma royal benefaction in a 10 April 2016 letter 199 The tomb had been untouched since 1947 when the British installed steel support beams as part of a restoration project which never took place 199 It was reopened to the public on 22 March 2017 after the renovation 200 On 2 August 2017 Abdullah donated 1 4 million to the Jerusalem Waqf the body that belongs to Jordan and is responsible for administering the Al Aqsa mosque compound 201 An independent report estimates the total amount that the Hashemites have spent since 1924 on administering and renovating Jami Al Aqsa as over 1 billion 195 In 2014 Abdullah received Pope Francis in Jordan the third papal visit of his reign 3 The king Queen Rania and Prince Ghazi accompanied the pope to Al Maghtas the site of Jesus baptism on the east bank of the Jordan River 202 Abdullah led The 500 Most Influential Muslims 2016 list published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center and was third on its 2018 list 203 Queen Rania was 35th on the 2016 list 203 Leaders of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre sent out a letter of support to Abdullah on 1 March 2018 after Israel shelved a proposed bill that aimed to propose new tax measures to churches in the West Bank Your defence of religious freedom and Your leadership in ensuring that the Status Quo is respected and maintained has been crucial in our ongoing attempts to guard and protect the Christian presence especially in the Holy City of Jerusalem the letter read 204 Successor EditSee also Line of succession to the Jordanian throne On 28 November 2004 Abdullah removed the title of crown prince from his half brother Prince Hamzah whom he had appointed on 7 February 1999 in accordance with their father s advice 205 In a letter to Hamzah read on Jordanian state television Abdullah said Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake 205 Although no successor to the title was named at that time the king was expected to appoint his son and heir apparent Prince Hussein crown prince 205 Hussein received the title on 2 July 2009 206 Personal life EditKing Abdullah met Rania Al Yassin at a dinner party in January 1993 On 10 June 1993 they were married 207 King Abdullah and Queen Rania have four children Crown Prince Hussein born 28 June 1994 Princess Iman born 27 September 1996 Princess Salma born 26 September 2000 and Prince Hashem born 30 January 2005 9 The ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum was married to Abdullah s half sister Princess Haya 208 Abdullah published an autobiography Our Last Best Chance The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril in 2010 209 He documents the first decade of his rule in a manner similar to his father s 1962 book Uneasy Lies the Head 209 Abdullah s book contains insights into his childhood and behind the scenes accounts of encounters with political figures 209 Interests Edit Abdullah has listed skydiving motorcycling water sports and collecting ancient weapons as his interests and hobbies and is a fan of the science fiction series Star Trek 23 83 In 1996 he appeared briefly in the Star Trek Voyager episode Investigations in a non speaking role 210 The king promotes tourism in Jordan and was a tour guide for Discovery Channel travel host Peter Greenberg on Jordan The Royal Tour 211 In the program Abdullah said that he is no longer permitted to skydive since he became king 211 He reportedly motorcycled through northern California on a Harley Davidson 83 Prince Ali bin Al Hussein one of Abdullah s brothers and president of the Jordan Football Association has said that the king is the Jordan national football team s biggest fan 83 His interest in the film industry influenced his decision to create the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in the Red Sea coastal town of Aqaba on 20 September 2006 in partnership with the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts 212 When the producers of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen decided to film in Jordan Abdullah called on military helicopters to help transport equipment into Petra 83 In 2016 the king honored the cast of Theeb the first Jordanian film nominated for an Oscar 213 Abdullah also enjoys stand up comedy When Gabriel Iglesias Russell Peters and a number of other stand up comedians visited Jordan for a 2009 comedy festival the king invited them over for dinner 214 In 2013 a video of Abdullah helping push a car stuck in snow in Amman during the 2013 Middle East cold snap went viral 215 In 2017 another amateur video that went viral showed Abdullah wearing pyjamas helping in extinguishing a fire in a wood near the royal palace 216 Wealth Edit Abdullah owns an international network of real estate properties valued in excess of 100 million His ownership of the properties was disguised through a series of offshore companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands Abdullah s property empire was disclosed in the Pandora Papers leak which revealed ownership of three contiguous oceanfront estates in the Point Dume area of Malibu 217 7 and properties in Washington D C London and Ascot 218 His lawyers denied any misuse of public funds or tax evasion and stated that they were bought from the monarch s private wealth and through offshore companies for security and privacy reasons 219 A 2022 Credit Suisse leak revealed that Abdullah owned six secret accounts including one whose balance exceeded 224 million A Royal Court statement said that the funds were a result of selling an Airbus 340 plane that belonged to his father the late King Hussein for 212 million and that it was replaced with a smaller less costly Gulfstream aircraft 8 220 Titles honours and awards EditTitles Edit 30 January 1962 1 March 1965 His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Jordan 1 March 1965 24 January 1999 His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah of Jordan 24 January 1999 7 February 1999 His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Jordan 7 February 1999 present His Majesty the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of JordanHonours Edit National honours Edit Jordan Grand Master of the Order of Al Hussein bin Ali citation needed Grand Master of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance citation needed Grand Master of the Order of the Hashemite Star 221 Grand Master of the Order of Military Gallantry 222 Grand Master of the Order of the Star of Jordan citation needed Grand Master of the Order of Independence citation needed Grand Master of the Order of Military Merit Founding Grand Master of the Order of King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein for Excellence Founding Grand Master of the Order of the State Centennial Sovereign of the Al Hussein Medal of Excellence 222 Sovereign of the Long Service Medal Sovereign of the Administrative amp Leadership Competence Medal Sovereign of the Administrative amp Technical Competence Medal Sovereign of the Administrative amp Training Competence Medal Foreign honours Edit Algeria Grand Collar of the National Order of Merit 4 December 2022 223 Austria Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria January 2001 222 Bahrain Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of Al Khalifa 4 November 1999 224 Belgium Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold 18 May 2016 225 Brunei Recipient of the Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei 13 May 2008 226 Cyprus Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III 17 December 2021 Czech Republic First Class of the Order of the White Lion 11 February 2015 227 Finland Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose 2010 228 Georgia Recipient of the Order of the Golden Fleece 29 May 2022 Germany Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic 10 October 2002 224 Italy Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 9 February 2001 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 15 January 1987 229 Japan Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum 30 November 1999 230 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum November 1993 231 Kazakhstan Recipient of the 10 Years of Astana Medal 18 May 2008 232 Lebanon Extraordinary Grade of the Order of Merit of Lebanon 14 September 1999 citation needed Libya Order of the Grand Conqueror 1st class 1 September 1999 citation needed Montenegro Order of the Republic of Montenegro 2017 233 Morocco Collar of the Order of Muhammad Grand Cordon of the Order of the Throne Netherlands Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion 30 October 2006 234 Grand Cross of Order of the House of Orange 7 December 1994 citation needed Norway Grand Cross with collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav 4 April 2000 citation needed Oman Member First Class of the Civil Order of Oman 4 October 2022 235 Palestine Grand Cordon of the Order of Jerusalem 21 November 2015 236 Peru Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru 31 May 2005 237 Poland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle 26 September 1999 citation needed Portugal Grand Collar of the Order of Saint James of the Sword 16 March 2009 238 Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry 5 March 2008 238 Romania Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania 20 December 2005 239 Slovenia Gold Medal of the Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia 2002 240 South Korea Knight of Grand Order of Mugunghwa 4 December 1999 citation needed Spain Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Charles III 21 April 2006 citation needed Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Isabel the Catholic 18 October 1999 citation needed Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit with white distinctive 15 September 1995 citation needed Grand Cross of the Order of Aeronautical Merit with white distinctive 23 December 1999 241 Sweden Knight of the Order of the Seraphim 7 October 2003 citation needed Tunisia Grand Cordon of the Order of the Republic Ukraine First Class of the Order of Merit 22 June 2011 242 First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 23 April 2002 243 United Kingdom Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Military Class 6 November 2001 244 Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George 12 May 1999 244 Honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order 26 March 1984 245 Honorary degrees Edit 1 January 2001 Doctorate in political sciences University of Jordan 246 3 September 2004 Doctorate International Relations Institute in Moscow 247 21 March 2005 Doctor of Humane Letters for socioeconomic development in Jordan and promoting interfaith dialogue Georgetown University 248 15 December 2005 Doctorate in political sciences Chulalongkorn University in Thailand 249 4 June 2008 Doctorate in civil law University of Oxford 250 8 November 2011 Doctorate in humanitarian sciences for efforts in defending Jerusalem s holy sites Al Quds University represented by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas 251 Honorary military appointments Edit United Kingdom Since 19 August 2003 Colonel in Chief of The Light Dragoons British Army 252 Awards Edit 16 March 2002 Young Presidents Organisation s Global Leadership Award California 253 30 September 2003 Sorbonne Association for Foreign Policy award for political courage in France 254 20 October 2003 Pioneer in E Business award Arab Business magazine United Arab Emirates 255 16 April 2004 INFORUM 21st Century Award from the Commonwealth Club of California awarded to young leaders who strive for positive change 256 9 June 2004 Golden Shield Award Chicago for efforts to stabilize the Middle East 257 June 2004 Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award for Achievement 258 259 On 21 March 2005 Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award United Nations 260 21 June 2005 Simon Wiesenthal Center Tolerance Award 261 21 December 2005 Golden Medal of Athens Award 262 8 May 2007 Peacemaker Award Seeds of Peace 263 8 October 2016 Peace of Westphalia Prize Germany 264 German president Joachim Gauck said that Abdullah and the Jordanians set standards for humanity with their response to the refugee crisis 264 16 November 2016 Peace prize Kazakhstan for contributions to security and nuclear disarmament 265 19 January 2017 Abu Bakr Al Siddeiq Medal First Class from the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organisation for Jordan s support of the Palestinian people and efforts on behalf of Syrian refugees 266 27 June 2018 Templeton Prize for promoting inter faith dialogue the awarding statement said that Abdullah has done more to seek religious harmony within Islam and between Islam and other religions than any other living political leader 267 21 November 2019 Scholar Statesman Award from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 268 See also EditList of things named after King Abdullah IIReferences Edit Corboz Elvire 2015 Guardians of Shi ism Sacred Authority and Transnational Family Networks Edinburgh University Press p 271 ISBN 978 0 7486 9144 9 U S and Jordan in a Fight Over Syrian Refugees Bloomberg com 6 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