king faisel i bin hussein
King of Syria, King of Iraq
Faisal bin Hussein (1885-1933) was one of the most prominent Arab leaders during the early 1900s. During World War I he allied with the British in the hopes of securing an independent Arab empire. He was a cautious supporter of the Balfour Declaration — on the condition that the Jews would support his goals, an agreement he made with Chaim Weizmann in 1919. It never came to fruition. Faisal fought a war with the French over Syria shortly after becoming king. He lost, but the British then made him King of Iraq in 1921.