Jordan’s king sends robust message on dissent in royal household

Jordanian authorities stated Sunday they foiled a “malicious plot” by a former crown prince to destabilize the dominion with overseas assist, contradicting the senior royal’s claims that he was being punished for talking out in opposition to corruption and incompetence.
Faced with rival narratives, the United States and Arab governments rapidly sided with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, reflecting the nation’s strategic significance in a turbulent area.
Domestically, Prince Hamzah’s unprecedented criticism of the ruling class — with out naming the king — might lend assist to rising complaints about poor governance and human rights abuses in Jordan.
At the identical time, the king’s robust response — putting his widespread half-brother beneath home arrest and accusing him of great crimes — illustrated the boundaries on public dissent he’s prepared to tolerate.
“The kingdom’s stability and security transcend everything,” stated Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s overseas minister and deputy prime minister, as he accused Hamzah and two senior Jordanian officers of conspiring with overseas components to destabilize the dominion. “The plot is totally contained.”
Yet Safadi’s information convention Sunday did little to deal with questions surrounding the weekend’s dramatic occasions. In the night time from Saturday to Sunday, Hamzah had introduced in a secretly recorded video leaked to the media that he had been positioned beneath home arrest.

Hamzah’s mom, Noor, weighed in on Twitter, writing Sunday: “Praying that truth and justice will prevail for all the innocent victims of this wicked slander. God bless and keep them safe.”
Abdullah and Hamzah are each sons of the late King Hussein, who stays a beloved determine twenty years after his dying. Upon ascending to the throne in 1999, Abdullah named Hamzah as crown prince, solely to revoke the title 5 years later. While the 2 are stated to have usually good relations, Hamzah has at occasions spoken out in opposition to authorities insurance policies, and extra not too long ago had cast ties with highly effective tribal leaders in a transfer seen as a risk to the king.
In his video, Hamzah, 41, accused Jordan’s ruling class of corruption and stifling freedom of expression.
“I’m not part of any conspiracy or nefarious organization or foreign-backed group, as is always the claim here for anyone who speaks out,” he stated. He stated his love for the nation is seen as “a crime worthy of isolation, threats and now being cut off.”

Hamzah is a well-liked determine in Jordan, broadly seen as pious and modest. But in his televised deal with, Safadi painted a far completely different image, accusing the prince of partaking in a secret plot that might have harmed nationwide safety had it not been foiled on the final minute.
“When they (security services) intercepted certain communications speaking about a zero hour, then it was clear that they (the alleged plotters) moved from designs and planning to action,” Safadi stated. “As a result, it was necessary for the security and intelligence apparatuses to move to throttle at birth this malicious plot.”
Safadi didn’t present specifics on the alleged plot or say what different international locations had been presupposed to have been concerned. But he stated that some 14 to 16 associates of Hamzah had been arrested, along with two former senior officers, Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal household. Awadallah is a former Cabinet minister and one-time head of the royal courtroom.
Safadi stated Hamzah was warned Saturday by the nation’s army chief to halt his actions however rejected the request. He claimed the prince recorded the conversations, handed them to overseas sources and issued his video message “in an attempt to distort facts and to gain sympathy domestically and internationally.” He stated the prince’s actions amounted to “incitement and efforts to mobilize citizens against the state.”
Safadi accused Awadallah, now a outstanding businessman within the Gulf, of dealing with the contacts with foreigners. He additionally claimed a person with hyperlinks to overseas intelligence providers had provided providers to Hamzah’s spouse on Saturday afternoon to attempt to get her overseas.

The Jordanian information website Amoon recognized the person as an Israeli named Roy Shaposhnik. In an announcement to the AP, Shaposhnik recognized himself as a “former Israeli” businessman dwelling in Europe, and an in depth buddy of Hamzah’s, however denied ever being an intelligence agent. He stated he provided to host Hamzah’s spouse and kids after listening to in regards to the prince’s predicament. The supply, he stated, was primarily based on the “strong personal friendship” between their households.
Safadi declined to say whether or not the prince can be charged with against the law, saying solely there have been makes an attempt to resolve the matter amicably.
Such public clashes between the best ranks of the long-ruling household are unparalleled, and any indicators of instability in Jordan might increase issues all through the area.
The United States swiftly introduced its “full support” for Abdullah. Saudi Arabia and different Gulf international locations, together with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait all expressed solidarity with the king.
Labib Kamhawi, a Jordanian political analyst, stated the sturdy assist for Abdullah mirrored his usually good relations throughout the area in addition to a priority that comparable troubles might strike different international locations.
None of the leaders within the area “would like to see havoc hitting any regime,” Kamhawi stated. “It could be contagious.”
The US considers Jordan a significant ally, granting it entry to army gear and help. US particular forces and different troops routinely prepare with the Jordanians. The kingdom hosts some 3,000 American troops.
Stability in Jordan and the standing of the king have lengthy been a priority all through the area, significantly through the Trump administration, which gave unprecedented assist to Israel and sought to isolate the Palestinians, together with by slashing funding for Palestinian refugees.
That positioned Jordan, which serves because the custodian of Islamic holy websites in Jerusalem — and is residence to a big Palestinian inhabitants — in a fragile place.
Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. The international locations preserve shut safety ties, however relations have in any other case been tense lately, largely attributable to variations linked to Israel’s battle with the Palestinians.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz referred to as Jordan a “strategic ally” and dismissed the turmoil as an “internal Jordanian matter.”
Jordan, a rustic of some 10 million folks, has been shaken by a collection of crises lately, from the rise of the Islamic State group in neighboring international locations to an inflow of Syrian refugees and an financial disaster brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Bessma Momani, a professor of worldwide relations at Ontario’s Waterloo University, stated the home arrest of Hamzah was “self-defeating” as a result of it’s more likely to strengthen the prince’s recognition.
Nonetheless, she stated it despatched a robust message to the Jordanian public. “If a prince can be stymied, no Jordanian is immune from the heavy hand of the state,” she stated.