Asharq Al-Awsat, on Wednesday, lost one of its prominent writers with the passing of the former Jordanian minister and journalist, Saleh Al-Qallab. He endured a long and courageous battle against illness, standing firm in the face of it until his last breath.
Al-Qallab, born in 1944 in the eastern Jordanian province of Mafraq, led a life that took him to various capitals around the world.
However, he never wavered in his steadfastness to his principles.
He was known for his amicable nature, even with his political adversaries, and for his impassioned dedication to his journalistic work in positions of responsibility.
Whether he was a television commentator, a minister in challenging circumstances, or a member of the Jordanian Senate, he remained resolute.
Al-Qallab had a socialist upbringing and political career.
After his incomplete studies at the University of Jordan due to his affiliation with the Ba’ath Party, he left Jordan for Syria following his release from prison.
However, his stay in Damascus was short-lived, as he disassociated himself from the Ba’ath Party after the corrective movement led by the late President Hafez Al-Assad.
He then moved to Beirut, where he aligned himself with the Fatah movement and grew close to its late leader, Yasser Arafat.
Throughout the 1970s, Al-Qallab worked for Lebanese newspapers and news agencies before leaving Beirut following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
The democratic transition initiated by Jordan’s late King Hussein in 1989 marked a new chapter in Al-Qallab’s life, one in which he reconciled with former adversaries.
He later served as the Minister of Information in two different governments.
After leaving his government position, he maintained his seat in the Senate and continued to contribute as a writer for both the Jordanian newspaper “Al-Rai” and Asharq Al-Awsat.
