Radi Hassan Annab ( ar, راضي حسن عنّاب; 23 July 1897 – 12 September 1993) was the first Arab commander of the Arab Legion when it concurrently became the

Jordanian Armed Forces The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الأرْدُنِية, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَبي ...

Biography

Radi Annab was born on 23 July 1897 in

Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...

, then part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. His father was Hajj Hassan Annab, an officer of the Ottoman Army. Annab's father instilled in him the values of military service, discipline and professionalism. Although Annab, like his father, enlisted in the Ottoman army, he later defected to join

Sharif Hussein Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi ( ar, الحسين بن علي الهاشمي, al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī; 1 May 18544 June 1931) was an Arab leader from the Banu Hashim clan who was the Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 and, after procla ...

's British-backed Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916. In 1923, Annab was among the Arab officers who formed the core of the British-led Arab Legion of the

Emirate of Transjordan The Emirate of Transjordan ( ar, إمارة شرق الأردن, Imārat Sharq al-Urdun, Emirate of East Jordan), officially known as the Amirate of Trans-Jordan, was a British protectorate established on 11 April 1921,

, which was ostensibly ruled by Sharif Hussein's son, Emir Abdullah I. Annab was the chief of police for the Balqa District in 1930, as well as the Arab Legion's chief of public security. In 1937, he was assigned chief of police of

Karak District Karak District ( ps, کرک ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Kohat Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is situated to the south of Kohat District and on the north side of Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts on the main I ...

, before being reassigned to Balqa the following year. In 1941, Annab was reassigned chief of public security and then posted as the chief of police in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

and

Ajloun Ajloun ( ar, عجلون, ''‘Ajlūn''), also spelled Ajlun, is the capital town of the Ajloun Governorate, a hilly town in the north of Jordan, located 76 kilometers (around 47 miles) north west of Amman. It is noted for its impressive ruins of t ...

in 1943 and 1944, respectively. As the Jerusalem District's police chief, Annab was present with King Abdullah I during the latter's assassination at the

al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situa ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

by a Palestinian shooter opposed to the king's policies. In the ensuing firefight with the shooter, who was shot dead, Annab was wounded. On 29 June 1953, Annab met with Israeli general

Moshe Dayan Moshe Dayan ( he, משה דיין; 20 May 1915 – 16 October 1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician. As commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953–1958) du ...

where they discussed ways to put an end to attempts by Palestinian refugees to infiltrate into the Israeli side of the

Green Line Green Line may refer to: Places Military and political * Green Line (France), the German occupation line in France during World War II * Green Line (Israel), the 1949 armistice line established between Israel and its neighbours ** City Line ( ...

, a cause of consternation for Israel. The

was formed on 1 March 1956 out of the Arab Legion. King Hussein, at the time, sought to distance himself from Jordan's former colonial power, the British, and disprove the contention of

Arab nationalist Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...

s that

Glubb Pasha Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb, KCB, CMG, DSO, OBE, MC, KStJ, KPM (16 April 1897 – 17 March 1986), known as Glubb Pasha, was a British soldier, scholar, and author, who led and trained Transjordan's Arab Legion between 1939 a ...

, the Arab Legion's commander, was the actual ruler of Jordan. Hussein Arabized the Army command, and Glubb was dismissed on the same date and replaced with Annab,Yitzhak 2012, p. 122. who became the Arab Legion's first Arab commander. Prior to his appointment, Annab had only held police posts. Annab retired two months later, on 24 May 1956, and was succeeded by Major Colonel

Ali Abu Nuwar Ali Abu Nuwar (surname also spelled ''Abu Nuwwar'', ''Abu Nawar'' or ''Abu Nowar''; 1925 – 15 August 1991) was a Jordanian Armed Forces, Jordanian army officer, serving as chief of staff in May 1956 – April 1957. He participated in the 1948 ...

. During his lifetime, he was decorated with Jordan's Medal of Independence and Order of the Renaissance. He died on 12 September 1993 in

, Jordan.

Awards

* Order of Independence * Supreme Order of the Renaissance

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Annab, Radi 1897 births 1993 deaths People from Nablus Arabs in Ottoman Palestine Jordanian generals Jordanian people of Palestinian descent