Bisher Khasawneh | |
|---|---|
بشر الخصاونة | |
.jpg) Khasawneh in 2020 | |
| Prime Minister of Jordan | |
| Assumed office 12 October 2020 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah II |
| Preceded by | Omar Razzaz |
| Minister of Defence | |
| Assumed office 12 October 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Minister of State for Legal Affairs | |
| In office 15 January 2017 – 15 February 2018 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah II |
| Preceded by | Ibrahim Al Jazi |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Ali Al Oaidi |
| Minister of State for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 28 September 2016 – 15 January 2017 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 January 1969 |
| Nationality | Jordanian |
| Spouse | Rana Sultan |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | |
| Awards | Order of the Star of Jordan Order of Independence |
Bisher Khasawneh (Arabic: بشر الخصاونة; born 27 January 1969)[1] is a Jordanian politician and diplomat who has been serving as the 43rd Prime Minister of Jordan and Minister of Defence since 12 October 2020.
Khasawneh was an ambassador of Jordan to Egypt, France, Kenya, Ethiopia, African Union, League of Arab States,[2] and to UNESCO. He also served as Coordinator General and Director of the Peace Process and Negotiations Bureau in Jordan.[3] He served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs between 2016 and 2017. He subsequently was Minister of State for Legal Affairs between 2017 and 2018. He served as the adviser to King Abdullah II for Communication and Coordination at The Royal Hashemite Court between April 2019 and August 2020. Until his appointment as Prime Minister Khasawneh served as the adviser to the King for Policies.
Khasawneh's father Hani was a leader of the Ba'ath Party.[7] He studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies and then obtained a doctorate in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.[5] His doctoral thesis, dated 2007, was titled "An appraisal of the right of return and compensation of Jordanian nationals of Palestinian refugee origin and Jordan's right, under international law, to bring claims relating thereto, on their behalf to and against Israel and to seek compensation as a host state in light of the conclusion of the Jordan-Israel peace treaty of 1994".[8]
In October 2004 Kasawneh held a speech at the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations general assembly.[9] From June 2012 until September 2016, Khasawneh served as Jordanian ambassador to Egypt.[10][11]
On 28 September 2016 he was named Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Hani Mulki's cabinet.[12] On 15 January 2017 he was named Minister of State for Legal Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Hani Mulki.[13] Khasawneh was sworn in as Jordan's Ambassador to France on 31 August 2018.[14]
On 23 April 2019 he was named adviser for Communication and Coordination to King Abdullah II in The Royal Hashemite Court.[15] On 18 August 2020 he was named as adviser to the king for policies.[16]
Upon his appointment as Prime Minister on 8 October 2020 King Abdullah II instructed him to improve the capabilities of the state in the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan.[7] He was also tasked with overseeing the November 2020 parliamentary elections.[17] His cabinet, in which he also serves as Minister of Defence, was sworn in on 12 October 2020.[18] Al-Khasawneh stated he wanted to overhaul the Jordan economy, while focusing on developing a public safety net and planning a realistic government budget.[19] Al-Khasawneh declared in a speech to the Jordan parliament in January 2021 that Jordan would receive 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from BioNTech/Pfizer and 2 million doses from the COVAX initiative led by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).[20]
