The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, sent a cable of condolences to His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the death of His Excellency Engineer Ali Abu Ragheb, former Prime Minister of Jordan. In his cable, the King expressed his deep sorrow at the news of the passing, saying: “We have learned of the death of His Excellency Engineer Ali Abu Ragheb, former Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – may God have mercy on him – and we extend to Your Majesty and the family of the deceased our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy. We ask God Almighty to grant him His abundant mercy and forgiveness, to admit him to His spacious Paradise, and to protect you from all harm. To God we belong and to Him we shall return.”.
In the same vein, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sent a similar cable of condolences to His Majesty King Abdullah II. In his cable, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said: “I received the news of the passing of His Excellency Engineer Ali Abu Ragheb, former Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – may God have mercy on him – and I extend to Your Majesty and the family of the deceased my deepest condolences and sincere sympathy, asking Almighty God to grant him His abundant mercy and forgiveness, and to admit him to His spacious Paradise, and to protect you from all harm. He is the All-Hearing, the Responsive.”.
A distinguished career in service to Jordan.
The late Ali Abu al-Ragheb is a prominent political figure in modern Jordanian history, having served as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense between 2000 and 2003. His term gained special importance as it came at the beginning of the reign of King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, as he was tasked with forming the government to implement new economic and administrative visions, the most prominent of which was the establishment of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, which constituted a turning point in the Jordanian economy.
During that period, Abu Ragheb’s government faced serious regional and international challenges, most notably the repercussions of the Second Palestinian Intifada and the preparations that preceded the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, which required wise political management to maintain the stability of the Kingdom and the balance of its foreign relations in a volatile environment.
The depth of Saudi-Jordanian relations
is underscored by the messages of condolence from the Saudi leadership, reaffirming the profound and historical fraternal ties that bind the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. These relations are characterized by continuous coordination and ongoing consultation between the leaderships of the two countries on various Arab and Islamic issues. This gracious gesture from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince reflects the Kingdom's unwavering commitment to standing by its brothers in Jordan in times of both prosperity and adversity, and to sharing their grief over the loss of statesmen who contributed to the building and development of their nation.
