Riad Al Solh

Riad Al Solh (; 17 August 1894 – 17 July 1951) was a Lebanese politician and statesman who served as the first and fifth prime minister of Lebanon from 1943 to 1945 and from 1946 to 1951, respectively. Solh was one of the most important figures in Lebanon's struggle for independence, who was able to unite the various religious groups, and is considered to be one of the founders of Lebanon.

Early life

Riad Al Solh, also written Riad el Solh or Riad Solh, was born in Sidon, on 17 August 1894. Solh was chosen by president Bishara Al Khouri to be his first Prime Minister. Solh and Khouri achieved and implemented the National Pact (al Mithaq al Watani) in November 1943 that provided an official framework to accommodate the confessional differences in Lebanon. The National Pact was an unwritten gentleman's agreement. The Pact stated that president, prime minister and Speaker of the Parliament in Lebanon should be allocated to three major confessional groups based on the 1932 census, namely the Maronite Christians, the Sunni Muslims and the Shiite Muslims, respectively. and the minister of supplies and reserves from 3 July 1944 to 9 January 1945.

Solh held premiership again from 14 December 1946 to 14 February 1951 again under the presidency of Bishara Al Khouri. Solh was critical of King Abdullah and played a significant role in granting the blessing of the Arab League's political committee to the All-Palestine Government during his second term.

Assassination Solh escaped unhurt from an assassination attempt in March 1950. It was perpetrated by a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP).

Personal life He secretly converted to Shia Islam since, compared to Sunni Islam, its inheritance laws meant that his daughters, his only children, could inherit a greater share of his wealth.

Al Solh was married to a Syrian, Fayza al-Jabiri, sister of former Syrian prime minister Saadallah al-Jabiri. They had five daughters; Alia, Lamia, Mona, Bahija, Fadia, Leila; and a son, Reda, who died in infancy. Her children are Moulay Hicham, Moulay Ismail and a daughter Lalla Zineb. Mona (1938–2025) was formerly married to the Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz. She is the mother of Princes Al Waleed bin Talal, Prince Khalid bin Talal, and Princess Reema bint Talal. Bahija is married to Said Al Assad who is the former Lebanese ambassador to Switzerland and a former member of parliament. They have two sons and two daughters. Leila was appointed one of the first two female ministers in Lebanon, serving in Prime Minister Omar Karami's government.

Legacy Patrick Seale's book The Struggle for Arab Independence (2011) deals with the history of the Middle East from the final years of the Ottoman Empire up to the 1950s and focuses on the influential career and personality of Solh. A square in downtown Beirut, Riad al-Solh Square, is named after him.