An Israeli businessman with ties to the US government was in contact with former Jordanian Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein when he was placed under house arrest on Saturday, and proposed sending a private plane to take his wife and children to Europe.
The plot: The Jordanian government claims that the Israeli has links with the Mossad espionage agency, while the businessman emphasizes that he is only a friend of the prince.
Why it matters: The Jordanian government is pursuing the story that Prince Hamzah and his collaborators conspired against King Abdullah with people outside Jordan.
- Breaking ties with Israel and the Mossad are effective lines for the Jordanian government’s campaign against Prince Hamzah. Public opinion about Israel is generally negative among the Jordanians.
Game status: Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a news conference on Sunday that a person with links to a foreign security service had approached Prince Hamzah’s wife and offered to arrange a private plane to take her and her family to to guide a foreign country.
- Hours later, Jordanian news agency Ammon, which is close to the Jordanian security services, published a story claiming that a former Mossad officer and an Israeli named Roy Shaposhnik were behind the offer.
- Shaposhnik contacted me and made a statement denying that the Jordanian government claims to have been involved in the alleged coup. He told me he had never been a Mossad officer, but he confirmed that he would suggest help to Prince Hamza and his family as part of their friendship.
What he says: “I am an Israeli living in Europe. I have never served in a role in the Israeli intelligence services,” Shaposhnik told me. “I have no knowledge of the events that took place in Jordan or of those involved. I am a good personal friend of Prince Hamzah.”
- He added that at this difficult time he wanted to help the prince’s wife and their children.
Between the lines: Shaposhnik, 41, was a political worker in the Kadima party in Israel 15 years ago. He serves as an adviser to then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
- Later he went to the private sector and worked for the American businessman Erik Prince’s security company. After a few years, he founded his own company, RS Logistical Solutions, which provided services to the US State Department and other governments around the world.
- Shaposhnik’s company also provided logistics services to Prince’s company, as it trained Iraqi soldiers in Jordan. This is when he met Prince Hamzah through a mutual friend. The couple and their families became close friends.
On Saturday morning, Prince Hamzah sent Shaposhnik a text message telling him that he had been placed under house arrest.
- A source familiar with the matter told me Shaposhnik immediately sent a text message to Prince Hamzah proposing to send a jet to charge her and their children until the situation clears up.
- Since then, Shaposhnik has had no contact with Prince Hamzah and his family, who are under house arrest and without the ability to communicate with the outside world, the source said.