Zaid al-Rifai (; 27 November 1936 – 12 August 2024) was a

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

ian politician who served as the 22nd

prime minister of Jordan The prime minister of Jordan is the head of government of the Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The prime minister is appointed by the List of kings of Jordan, king of Jordan, who is then free to form his own Cabinet of Jordan, Cabinet. Th ...

, holding office from May 1973 to July 1976 and again from April 1984 to April 1989. His second tenure remains the longest uninterrupted government in Jordan’s history. In addition to his role as prime minister, al-Rifai served as the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Senate of Jordan The Senate of Jordan is the upper house of the Jordanian Parliament which, along with the House of Representatives forms the legislature of Jordan.

from 1997 to 2009.

Early life and education

Zaid al-Rifai was born in Amman in 1936 to a prominent Jordanian political family. His father,

Sameer al-Rifai Samir al-Rifai (; 30 January 1901 –12 October 1965) was a Jordanian politician and statesman who served several terms as the 8th Prime Minister of Jordan. Al-Rifai served under Kings Abdullah I, Talal and Hussein: *Minister of Finance from 1 ...

, and his uncle, Abdelmunim al-Rifai, both served as prime ministers of Jordan. His father-in-law,

Bahjat Talhouni Bahjat Talhouni (; 1913 – January 30, 1994) was a Jordanian political figure. He served as the 14th Prime Minister of Jordan between 1960 and 1970 for six different terms. Talhouni was Prime Minister from August 1969 to June 1970, during a ...

, and his son,

Samir Rifai Samir Zaid al-Rifai () (born 1 July 1966) is a Jordanian politician who was the 38th Prime Minister of Jordan, Prime Minister of Jordan from 14 December 2009 to 9 February 2011, Vice President of the Senate (Jordan), Senate of the Hashemite King ...

, also held the same position. He attended Victoria College, before attaining a bachelor's degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and a master's in law and international relations from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Career

Assassination attempt (1971)

Before serving as prime minister, al-Rifai survived an assassination attempt on 15 December 1971 while he was Jordan's ambassador to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The attack was carried out by members of

Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

in response to the

Black September Black September (), also known as the Jordanian Civil War, was an armed conflict between Jordan, led by Hussein of Jordan, King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by chairman Yasser Arafat. The main phase of the fight ...

conflict, during which Jordan expelled Palestinian militant groups following clashes between the Jordanian military and the PLO.

First premiership (1973–1976)

Al-Rifai was appointed Prime Minister of Jordan in May 1973. During his first tenure, Jordan navigated significant regional developments, including the

1973 Arab-Israeli War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. Most o ...

and its aftermath. He was in office when the

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974.

Second premiership (1984–1989)

Al-Rifai returned to the position of prime minister in April 1984, leading Jordan's longest-serving government until April 1989. During this time, Jordan maintained its policy of granting Jordanian citizenship to Palestinians in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, a policy that continued until 31 July 1988, when Jordan officially renounced its claims to the West Bank and severed administrative ties. His tenure also saw economic and political challenges, including growing demands for political reform and the rising influence of opposition movements. In April 1989, shortly after his resignation, widespread protests over economic conditions erupted, leading to the eventual democratization efforts under

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generati ...

Senate presidency (1997–2009)

Following his premiership, al-Rifai was appointed President of the Senate of Jordan in June 1997, a position he held until 2009. He resigned from the position and politics in 2009.

Death

Zaid al-Rifai died on 12 August 2024 at the age of 87.>

References

External links

Prime Ministry of Jordan website
1936 births 2024 deaths Prime ministers of Jordan Presidents of the Senate of Jordan Jordanian people of Palestinian descent Ministers of foreign affairs of Jordan Defence ministers of Jordan Victoria College, Alexandria alumni Harvard University alumni Jordanian diplomats Ambassadors of Jordan to the United Kingdom Members of the Senate of Jordan Children of prime ministers of Jordan Survivors of terrorist attacks {{Jordan-politician-stub