The king died of complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma on 7 February 1999.[18] His 47-year reign extended through four turbulent decades of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Cold War.[18] Several hours after the announcement of his father's death, Abdullah appeared at an emergency session of the Jordanian parliament.[18] Hussein's two brothers, Hassan and Mohammed, walked ahead of him as he entered the assembly.[18] In Arabic, he swore the oath taken by his father almost fifty years earlier: "I swear by Almighty God to uphold the constitution and to be faithful to the nation".[18] Speaker of the Senate Zaid Al-Rifai opened the session with Al-Fatiha (the opening chapter of the Quran), his voice cracking with emotion as he led the recitation.