The King of Jordan claims that authorities lifted a riot with the arrests of a former crown prince and 17 other people over the weekend, describing the events as the “most painful” ordeal of his government.
“Nothing can come close to the shock and pain and anger I felt as a brother and head of the Hashemite family, and as a leader for this precious people,” the king said in a written statement Wednesday.
King Abdullah said four days after Prince Hamza was arrested that his half-brother was ‘at home under my protection’ and that the former heir to the Jordanian throne had offered him his loyalty.
The late remarks did not cover the most serious public outcry in the ruling family during the past twenty years, and did not provide any explanation for officials’ claims that a foreign government was a coup that Hamzah was in the final stages of the organization, did not support.
However, they highlighted the dilemma faced by Abdullah, and by avoiding a public speech, he aimed to defuse a challenge to his authority without seeing the fidelity of the country’s powerful tribes tested. word. Hamzah was a popular and charismatic royal, but the depth of his ties with Jordanian society remains unclear.
Where the tribes stand on the arrest of the alleged plotters, it is central to the fate of a monarch plagued by economic woes exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The economic downturn has complicated Jordan’s powerful protection networks and strained the accommodation between rulers and generations that has plagued the kingdom for decades.
Hamzah released two provocative and extremely unusual video statements while under house arrest, and a recording of his meeting with the Jordanian military chief appeared on Monday.
King Abdullah claimed that Hamza, whom he had succeeded as heir in 2004 in favor of his son, had now signed a pledge of support. ‘He committed himself before the (Hashemite) family to following the path of his parents and grandparents, to be faithful to their message and to put the importance of Jordan, its constitution and its laws above all other considerations.
“The challenge of recent days has not been the most difficult or dangerous for the stability of our homeland, but it was the most painful for me because the trouble and disagreement was inside and outside our one home.”
Described as the Jordanian version of The Crown, it sparked intrigue across the country and region, sparking widespread speculation about the foreign country allegedly behind a conspiracy led by Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi. proposed was stopped at the “Zero hour”.
Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement and described allegations that it was in contact with Hamzah and key aid workers as “nonsense”. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan flew to Amman on Wednesday to meet with Safadi. Officials said the visit was aimed at “expressing full solidarity with the King of Jordan, Abdullah and his government”.
Joe Biden called Abdullah on Wednesday and reiterated US support for a regional partner who has been central to Washington’s regional security projection for decades, but whose role under the Trump administration has waned.
Biden has indicated that he intends to restore the relationship on a more conventional basis, by supporting a monarch who forms the basis of the fight against the Islamic State, while protecting the eastern border of Israel by a long-standing security treaty.