Abdullah I (Abdullah ibn Husayn) [key], 1882–1951, king of Jordan (1946–51), b. Mecca; son of Husayn ibn Ali of the Hashemite family. During World War I, Abdullah, with British support, led Arab revolts against Turkish rule. After the war he unsuccessfully fought against Ibn Saud for control of the Hejaz. In 1921, Great Britain made Abdullah the emir of Transjordan as well as placed Abdullah's brother Faisal as king of Iraq. In World War II, Abdullah strongly opposed the Axis powers. Following the partition of Palestine (May, 1948) he led the troops of his British-trained force, the Arab Legion, against the newly declared state of Israel. Abdullah annexed the portions of Palestine now known as the West Bank. His foreign policy was directed toward creation of an Arab federation, preferably under Hashemite rule. In 1951 he was assassinated in Jerusalem.
See his Memoirs (1951).
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