Jordan Government Officials Health

Haitham Ahmed Bundakji remembers meeting King Hussein of Jordan at an ice-skating rink in Amman, Jordan, when he was 9 years old. Asking Muslims at the Islamic Society of Orange County on Friday to pray for the ailing Hussein during prayers, he emphasized it wasn't an official request of the center, but rather a plea from his heart. Bundakji, 50, was born in Jordan and lived there for 19 years before moving to Garden Grove in 1968.

Haitham Ahmed Bundakji remembers meeting King Hussein of Jordan at an ice-skating rink in Amman, Jordan, when he was 9 years old. Asking Muslims at the Islamic Society of Orange County on Friday to pray for the ailing Hussein during prayers, he emphasized it wasn't an official request of the center, but rather a plea from his heart. Bundakji, 50, was born in Jordan and lived there for 19 years before moving to Garden Grove in 1968.

He is his brother's protege, top advisor and closest friend. For 33 years, since King Hussein of Jordan tapped him as official successor, Crown Prince Hassan has played the understudy, learning the part but rarely getting the chance to exercise it. But Hassan is now--reluctantly--in the midst of a royal trial run, acting as regent while his beloved older brother undergoes treatment for lymphatic cancer in the United States.

With his family bidding him a tearful bedside farewell, Jordan's King Hussein lay dying in a military hospital Friday, leaving a vacuum in Middle East leadership and a numb nation grief-stricken. Hussein, 63, whose diplomatic aplomb and sheer energy made him a key player in the peace process, was being kept alive by life-support machinery, a palace official said.

King Hussein, who had been undergoing emergency treatment in the United States for lymphatic cancer, flew home in critical condition Thursday to a shocked and worried nation. A statement quoting Hussein's private physician and released by Jordanian officials Thursday night said the condition of the 63-year-old monarch had "become critical due to the failure of the functions of the internal organs."

With his family bidding him a tearful bedside farewell, Jordan's King Hussein lay dying in a military hospital Friday, leaving a vacuum in Middle East leadership and a numb nation grief-stricken. Hussein, 63, whose diplomatic aplomb and sheer energy made him a key player in the peace process, was being kept alive by life-support machinery, a palace official said.

In his debut this week as crown prince, Abdullah ibn Hussein seemed at ease as he smiled warmly and clasped hands with the hundreds of politicians, Bedouin tribal leaders and clerics who paraded across the marble floors of Raghadan Palace. "We should talk--soon," he whispered to one former prime minister. "Let's get together once all these formalities are over," he told a senator.

In the final hours before he left Jordan again last week, a sick and frail King Hussein toiled late into the night, feverishly scribbling a long stream of thoughts that ended in the summary dismissal of his brother as crown prince. The king's fitful musings were interrupted by an unplanned trip to the hospital, his fifth in five days, when doctors informed him that he had to return urgently to the U.S. for more of the cancer treatment that had sustained his life.

A gaunt but smiling King Hussein returned home Tuesday to elated, rain-drenched crowds and simmering speculation over who will succeed him as the ruler of this strategic U.S. ally. Claiming recovery from cancer after six months of treatment in the United States, the king piloted his Royal Jordanian Air Force jet to a safe landing here.

Feverish and weak, King Hussein on Tuesday rushed back to the U.S. cancer clinic where he had spent much of the last six months undergoing chemotherapy, leaving Jordanians to worry about their monarch's mortality. The king's sudden departure came just hours after he had formally anointed his eldest son, Prince Abdallah, as heir to the Hashemite throne. His absence put the 36-year-old army commander in charge of the monarchy on his very first day as crown prince.

King Hussein, who had been undergoing emergency treatment in the United States for lymphatic cancer, flew home in critical condition Thursday to a shocked and worried nation. A statement quoting Hussein's private physician and released by Jordanian officials Thursday night said the condition of the 63-year-old monarch had "become critical due to the failure of the functions of the internal organs."

In the final hours before he left Jordan again last week, a sick and frail King Hussein toiled late into the night, feverishly scribbling a long stream of thoughts that ended in the summary dismissal of his brother as crown prince. The king's fitful musings were interrupted by an unplanned trip to the hospital, his fifth in five days, when doctors informed him that he had to return urgently to the U.S. for more of the cancer treatment that had sustained his life.

In his debut this week as crown prince, Abdullah ibn Hussein seemed at ease as he smiled warmly and clasped hands with the hundreds of politicians, Bedouin tribal leaders and clerics who paraded across the marble floors of Raghadan Palace. "We should talk--soon," he whispered to one former prime minister. "Let's get together once all these formalities are over," he told a senator.

Feverish and weak, King Hussein on Tuesday rushed back to the U.S. cancer clinic where he had spent much of the last six months undergoing chemotherapy, leaving Jordanians to worry about their monarch's mortality. The king's sudden departure came just hours after he had formally anointed his eldest son, Prince Abdallah, as heir to the Hashemite throne. His absence put the 36-year-old army commander in charge of the monarchy on his very first day as crown prince.

A gaunt but smiling King Hussein returned home Tuesday to elated, rain-drenched crowds and simmering speculation over who will succeed him as the ruler of this strategic U.S. ally. Claiming recovery from cancer after six months of treatment in the United States, the king piloted his Royal Jordanian Air Force jet to a safe landing here.

He is his brother's protege, top advisor and closest friend. For 33 years, since King Hussein of Jordan tapped him as official successor, Crown Prince Hassan has played the understudy, learning the part but rarely getting the chance to exercise it. But Hassan is now--reluctantly--in the midst of a royal trial run, acting as regent while his beloved older brother undergoes treatment for lymphatic cancer in the United States.