King Abdullah II of Jordan announced that sedition led by his half-brother had been “nipped in the bud”

The king Abdullah II of Jordan broke his silence on Wednesday to inform his country that the worst political crisis in decades was sparked by an alleged plot involving his half-brother Prince Hamza, had finished.

The government accused Hamzah, a former crown prince who was ousted from his successor to the throne in 2004, of participate in a conspiracy to “destabilize the security of the kingdom” and arrest at least 16 people.

But Abdullah said on Wednesday that Hamza, who signed a letter pledging his allegiance to the king after the mediation of an uncle, he was safe in his palace under his “protection”.

The challenge of the past few days has not been the most dangerous for the stability of the country, but it has been the most painful for me.

“I assure you the sedition has been nipped in the bud,” Abdullah said in a speech read on his behalf on state television, a day after an official blackout on the issue.

“The challenge of the last few days was not the most dangerous for the stability of the country, but it was the most painful for me because the parties involved in this sedition came from at home and abroad.“, He said.

It was not clear whether the king was referring to actors outside the royal family or the kingdom.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, he accused Sunday that the conspirators linked up with foreign partiesbut they had refused to identify them.

“Family problem”

The alleged plot against the Jordanian monarchy was an unprecedented episode in the annals of the Hashemite kingdom, deeply troubling the Jordanians.

Hamza was appointed crown prince in 1999 in accordance with his father’s wishes, but Abdullah stripped him of the title in 2004 and appointed his eldest son in place of Hamzah.

After claiming he was under house arrest on Saturday, Hamza has used social and traditional media extensively to speak out about his plight.

He accused Jordan’s rulers of corruption and ineptitude in a video message posted by the BBC Saturday.

Hamza is committed to the family to follow in the path of his parents and grandparents, to be true to his message and to put the best interests of Jordan, its constitution and its laws before any other consideration.

But after a declaration of loyalty to the king on MondayAbdullah said on Wednesday that Hamza had offered his support to the monarchy.

“Hamza is now with his family in his palace under my protection.”Abdullah said to the address.

“He made a commitment to the (Hashemite) family to follow the path of his parents and grandparents, to be true to his message and to put the interests of Jordan, its constitution and its laws above all others. consideration.”

The crisis had revealed the divisions in a country generally regarded as a bulwark of stability in the Middle East.

Jordanian borders Israel and the busy West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It houses American troops and is the home to millions of Palestinian exiles and over half a million Syrian refugees.

The monarchy that rules Jordan, a country long seen as an anchor for pro-Western stability in a turbulent region, has said it is solving the problem. “As part of the Hashemite family”.

Relief

The king’s speech followed orders issued Tuesday by the Amman prosecutor, Hassan al-Abdallat, which prohibited the publication of any information on the alleged conspiracy in order to keep the investigation secret from the security services.

Jordanian media have learned that They will wait for official statements before publishing anything about those arrested.

The front page of Wednesday morning’s newspaper was dominated by the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal Bin Farhan, with a message from King Salman and the events of the coronavirus epidemic ravaging the country.

Mustafa al-Riyalat, editor-in-chief of the pro-government newspaper Addustour, said the Jordanians “They feel calm, because it’s like nothing has happened.”

In the streets, Jordanians expressed their relief.

“When the crisis erupted on Saturday, there was no one in the street. People were afraid ”, said Shady, 41, who owns a clothing store in the capital, Amman.

“But thank God this was resolved inside the royal palace.”

But Ahmed Awad, of the Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, warned that the crisis was not yet over.

“There was a solution within the royal family, but not a solution to the political crisis,” he said.

“The real political crisis … will continue until there are more democratic reforms.”

(With information from AFP)

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