Sulayman al-Nabulsi
| Sulayman al-Nabulsi | |
|---|---|
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| Sulayman al-Nabulsi in his study | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1908 as-Salt, Jordan |
| Died | 1976 |
| Nationality | Jordanian |
| Occupation | Finance Minister (1947-49; 1950-51) Prime Minister (1956-57) Foreign Minister (1957) |
| Religion | Islam |
Sulayman al-Nabulsi (Arabic: سليمان النابلسي) (1908–1976) was a Jordanian political figure of Palestinian descent who served as Prime Minister of Jordan in 1956–57.
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[edit] Early life
Al-Nabulsi was born into a Palestinian family of notables in as-Salt, Jordan in 1908. He graduated from the American University of Beirut with a degree in law and social studies in the early 1930s.[1] Afterward, he briefly served as a teacher in al-Karak where he generated a "feeling of Arab brotherhood," leading the first demonstration in the city condemning the Balfour Declaration. As a result, the British authorities in the country immediately transferred him to a secondary school in his hometown of as-Salt.[2] He moved to Amman in 1932.[3] He later joined the civil service and eventually became the director of the state-owned Agricultural Bank, a post he held until 1946.[1] In 1945, British authorities accused him of agitating in Jerusalem against a concession to a Jewish company. Upon his return to Jordan, he was arrested at the Allenby Bridge, then forcibly moved to Shobak in southern Jordan.[3]
[edit] Political career
From 1947 to 1949, al-Nabulsi served as Minister of Finance and Economy, then again from 1950 to 1951. He was jailed for nine months in the Amman Prison for writing an article condemning the 1948 Anglo-Jordanian treaty. However, like most politicians of the time, his opposition activities did not hinder his political career.[3] When he entered into the government as finance minister in 1950, King Abdullah bestowed him on the title of "Pasha."[4] In 1953, he was appointed Jordan's ambassador to Britain until 1954 when he returned to Amman from London. His experience there turned him into a staunch Arab nationalist and anti-Zionist. His nationalism had alienated him from King Hussein who had him exiled from the capital Amman to a provincial town. At this time, he founded the National Socialist Party (NSP) and was elected its leader.[1] He soon became known by many of his supporters as Za'im al-Watani ("The Nationalist Leader").[5] In July 1956, al-Nabulsi gave a speech commending Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser for nationalizing the Suez Canal and stressing the importance of Nasser's leadership of the Arab world.[6]
Al-Nabulsi entered his party into an electoral alliance with the Ba'ath and Jordanian Communist Party (CFJ) to form the National Front (NF) which called for freeing Jordan of foreign influence, political, economic, and military cooperation with Arab nationalist states, and aiding other Arab states with their fight against imperialism.[7] They failed in their attempt to gain a majority in the 40-member Jordanian parliament, allegedly due to poll rigging by King Hussein's allies. However, they did win twelve seats, making it the largest bloc, and as leader of the NF, al-Nabulsi managed to prevent Jordan from entering the Baghdad Pact alliance in 1955, then succeeded in getting Hussein to dissolve the parliament.[1]
[edit] Prime Minister of Jordan
In the October 1956 parliamentary elections, the NF won 16 seats and al-Nabulsi was asked by Hussein to form a government. Thus, he became prime minister and as one of his first measures, he merged the Arab Legion with the Palestinian-dominated National Guard, creating a 35,000-strong Jordanian Army.[1] Two days after his ascension to government, Egypt was invaded by a tripartite alliance consisting of Britain, France, and Israel. While an enraged King Hussein favored militarily assisting Egypt, al-Nabulsi called for a delay to wait for the results of the invasion. Eventually, Hussein agreed not to help militarily.[8]
Al-Nabulsi also decided to establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and allowed the CFJ to publish a weekly newspaper.[1] However, on February 2, 1957, the king warned against this in a speech directed to al-Nabulsi, saying "We want this country to be inaccessible to Communist propaganda and Bolshevik theories."[9] Heeding to Hussein's request, al-Nabulsi ordered the CFJ's paper to be banned.[1] Al-Nabulsi was known to be an admirer of Nasser, and so called for Jordan to join an Arab federation with Egypt and Syria thereby reducing King Hussein to a figurehead.[10]
Relations between the cabinet and the king were further strained when Hussein dispatched personal envoys to Cairo, Damascus, and Jeddah in March 1957 with messages not vetted by the government. In response, al-Nabulsi presented the king with formal requests to retire senior public servants, threatening his cabinet would resign and take to the streets if the requests were refused. Hussein initially appealed, but after al-Nabulsi prepared a new list, Hussein sent him a letter warning him that he would be dismissed. Backed by popular sympathy and support from the Ba'athists and Nasser's Egypt, al-Nabulsi's cabinet resigned and protested against King Hussein.[9] On April 15, a new cabinet was formed by Fakhri al-Khalidi and al-Nabulsi agreed to the post of foreign minister, despite dissuasion from the king. On April 22, the new cabinet resigned prompting protests throughout the West Bank and Amman.[9] After an unsuccessful coup against the king by military officers close to al-Nabulsi, Hussein declared martial law, banned all political parties, and sentenced al-Nabulsi to house imprisonment until 1961–62 without being charged.[11]
In 1968, the National Gathering party was formed in Jordan with al-Nabulsi as its leader. It included the members of banned political parties.[12]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Hiro 2003, p. 352
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 70
- ^ a b c Anderson 2005, p. 81
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 77
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 138
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 172
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 174
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 176
- ^ a b c Lesch, pp.125-126.
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 133
- ^ Anderson 2005, p. 205
- ^ Rabinovich 1978, p. 289
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- Lesch, David W. (2003), The Middle East and the United States: a historical and political reassessment, Westview Press, ISBN 0813339405
- Hiro, Dilip (2003), The essential Middle East: a comprehensive guide, Carroll & Graf Publishers, ISBN 0786712694
- Anderson, Betty Signe (2005), Nationalist voices in Jordan: the street and the state, University of Texas Press, ISBN 029270610
- Rabinovich, Itamar (1978), From June to October: the Middle East between 1967 and 1973, Transaction Publishers, ISBN 0878552308
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- 1908 births
- 1976 deaths
- Palestinian people
- Arab nationalist politicians
- Prime Ministers of Jordan
- American University of Beirut alumni
- Ambassadors of Jordan to the United Kingdom
- Government ministers of Jordan
- Finance ministers of Jordan
- Economy ministers of Jordan
- Foreign ministers of Jordan
- Transport ministers of Jordan
