Hazza' Barakat al-Majali (1917 – 29 August 1960) () was a Jordanian politician that served as the two-time 11th

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 ...

. His first term lasted one week in 1955, his second term lasted from mid-1959 until his

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

Education

Majali was born in

Madaba Madaba (; Biblical Hebrew: ''Mēḏəḇāʾ''; ) is the capital city of Madaba Governorate in central Jordan, with a population of about 60,000. It is best known for its Byzantine art, Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byz ...

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 ...

in 1917. He was the son of a sheikh of the Majali tribe. He attended an elementary school in Ma'een, then transferred to Al-Raba School in

Al-Karak Al-Karak (), in English sources often simply Karak, is a city in Jordan known for its medieval castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak is the capital city of ...

, followed by Al-Karak School, and finally to Al-Salt school for his secondary education. Hazza' later studied law in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Jordanian government positions

After high school, Majali worked for the Department of Land and Survey followed by the

Court. After that, he studied law in

and returned to Jordan to work for the "Royal Protocol". He was appointed by King Abdullah I as Chairman of the

Greater Amman Municipality Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant reg ...

, then served as the Minister of Agriculture (1950–1951) and as the

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

(1951 and 1954–1955) under Prime Minister

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 ...

. He won two Parliamentary elections to represent Al-Karak in the

Jordanian Parliament The Parliament of Jordan ( ') is the bicameral Jordanian national assembly. Established by the 1952 Constitution, the legislature consists of two houses: the Senate ( ''Majlis Al-Aayan'') and the House of Representatives ( ''Majlis Al-Nuwaab' ...

, once in 1951 and again in 1954. He was also appointed as the Minister of Interior (1953–1954 and 1955). Hazza' first served as Prime Minister on 15 December 1955 when King Hussein tried to join the

Baghdad Pact The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), formerly known as the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO) and also known as the Baghdad Pact, was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed on 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, ...

, but quickly resigned on 20 December 1955 following popular protests making his first government the shortest lasting government in Jordan's history. He was re-appointed as Prime Minister on 6 May 1959. He picked

Wasfi al-Tal Wasfi Tal (; also known as Wasfi Tell; 1920 – 28 November 1971) was a Jordanian politician, statesman and military officer. He served as the 15th Prime Minister of Jordan for three separate terms, 1962–63, 1965–67 and 1970 until his assass ...

to be his assistant during this term. Majali was assassinated at his office on 29 August 1960.

Personal life

Majali married Samiha Rfifan al-Majali, the sister of Habis al-Majali. Together they had 5 children (3 boys and 2 girls). His eldest son, Amjad Hazza' al-Majali, served as the Jordanian Ambassador in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, and eventually became Minister of Labor during the government of Ali Abu al-Ragheb. His second eldest son, Ayman Hazza' al-Majali, served as Chief of Royal Protocol for

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 ...

in the 1990s until the King's death in 1999, and then served as Deputy Prime Minister during the government of

Abdelraouf al-Rawabdeh Abdelraouf Salem Nahar al-Rawabdeh (; born 18 February 1939) is a Jordanian retired politician who served as the 32nd Prime Minister of Jordan from 4 March 1999 until 19 June 2000, a leading political figure from the northern city of Irbid in Jor ...

. His eldest daughter, Taghrid Hazza' Majali, married Prince Muhammad bin Talal, brother of King Hussein, in 1981. His second eldest daughter Zein Hazza' Majali is a businesswoman. His youngest son, Hussein Hazza' al-Majali, who graduated from

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges ...

, served in the Jordanian military and became head of the Royal Guard under King Hussein in the 1990s, Jordan's Ambassador in Bahrain until 2010 the chief of the Jordanian Public Security Department. And the minister of Interior Affairs in the government of Abdullah Al Nsour

Assassination

At around 10:30 am on 29 August 1960, a bomb exploded in Majali's office, killing him and 12 other people including senior officials in the government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majali, Hazza 1917 births 1960 deaths Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali Majali People murdered in 1960 Politicians assassinated in 1960 Deaths by explosive device

Education

Jordanian government positions

Personal life

Assassination

See also

References