King Husain was a small man, and we are not just talking about his physique, who ruled an artificial kingdom. So, what explains the outpouring of grief in western capitals at his death with four American presidents--one serving and three former--attending his funeral in Amman on February 8 together with presidents and prime ministers from most western countries?
King Husain’s determination to drag his frail body out of its hospital bed to help ‘president’ Yassir Arafat sell out to Israel during the October ‘peace talks’ at the Wye Plantation, Maryland, demonstrates the Hashimite monarch has not lost any of his zeal as a western and Israeli surrogate after 46 years of loyal service...
In the west, king Husain of Jordan is projected as a plucky little monarch battling enormous odds. His kingdom sandwiched between Israel on the one side and Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia on the other, is in a precarious position.
