Former Crown Prince Accused of Coup Attempt
Jordan detained Prince Hamzah, the king’s 41-year-old half-brother who was crown prince until 2004 before being stripped of the title which Abdullah granted to his son, arrested two former senior officials and several others Saturday, amid reports of a possible coup attempt.
The prince has been barred from leaving his home, according to sources in Amman, though the government has denied he has been arrested.
A large number of security forces have been deployed on Amman’s main streets and around its most sensitive sites.
Social media rumors and a lack of non-partisan news outlets in the country have meant many Jordanians are still in the dark about the significance of the arrests.
A video by Prince Hamzah published on Saturday evening only increased the uncertainty. In it, the prince said he was under house arrest and spoke out against corruption and incompetence in Jordan.
The prince said he was not allowed to leave his home or meet with anyone except his family and that Jordanian authorities had cut off all means of communication, including the internet. People close to him were also arrested, he said.
Residents of Jordan reacted to Saturday evening’s unfolding news with confusion and irritation.
For Lamis Andoni, a newspaper columnist for London-based newspaper Al-Araby al-Jadeed, if Prince Hamzah’s house arrest was the result of a campaign to target dissent, then it marked a "dangerous escalation”.
Maser Malasa, a member of the Jordanian Engineers Association, told MEE that the country was in need of "serious reform, because that will be less costly than any destruction”.
Malasa said that all Jordanians will likely have heard the prince’s comments, even though his statements were the kind of opinions "only whispered about in the past”.
Local commentators downplayed the idea that the prince had orchestrated a coup against King Abdullah II.
"Divisions within the royal family are unexpected,” political analyst Munther al-Huwwarat told Middle East Eye.
The chief of the Jordanian armed forces, Major General Yousef Ahmad Huneiti, denied the claims that Prince Hamzah was arrested on Saturday, but said it was true that he was asked to limit his movement and communications while an investigation was ongoing.
Jordanian sources have said that at least 20 people were arrested on Saturday in connection to the case, including Prince Hamzah’s associates Sharif Hassan Bin Zeid and Bassem Awadallah.
MEE said it had learned from security sources that the arrests all took place within a short period on Saturday and included Awadallah - the former chief of the royal court and now an adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman - along with Bin Zeid, a relative of the Jordanian royal family.
Prince Hamzah is known for having a strong relationship with Bedouin tribes in the country, and was reportedly hosted by a well-known Bedouin sheikh two days before Saturday’s events.
Hamzah is also said to be supported by the Americans, while King Abdullah is backed by Britain.
The current political upheaval in Jordan originates from a number of factors including the royal family feud and infighting over power, the economic crisis in the country and a surge in COVID-19 cases that have resulted in widespread public dissatisfaction.
However, outside factors are also at play, chiefly the political rivalry among the regional states which has intensified by the so-called Abraham Accords that saw several Arab states normalize their relations with the occupying regime of Israel.
Whatever the reasons, the emerging divisions within the royal family are fuelled by heated competition among Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, the occupying regime of Israel as well as the U.S. and Britain.
The ferocious intrigues being played behind the scenes burst into the public spotlight first in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt suddenly severed diplomatic relations with Qatar.
However, divisions have also emerged among apparently close allies, including between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, especially over Yemen where their interests have diverged amid fierce jockeying for position in the war-torn country.
Reacting to the events, Iran said Sunday any tension and instability in the West Asia region would only serve the Zionist regime’s interests.
The Zionist regime’s "footprint can always be found in any sedition in Muslim countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
Stressing Iran’s cordial ties with Jordan, Khatibzadeh said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is opposed to any form of internal instability and foreign interference, and believes that all countries’ affairs should be pursued within legal frameworks.”
Hamzah is also said to be supported by the Americans, while King Abdullah is backed by Britain.
The current political upheaval in Jordan originates from a number of factors including the royal family feud and infighting over power, the economic crisis in the country and a surge in COVID-19 cases that have resulted in widespread public dissatisfaction.
However, outside factors are also at play, chiefly the political rivalry among the regional states which has intensified by the so-called Abraham Accords that saw several Arab states normalize their relations with the occupying regime of Israel.
Whatever the reasons, the emerging divisions within the royal family are fuelled by heated competition among Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, the occupying regime of Israel as well as the U.S. and Britain.
The ferocious intrigues being played behind the scenes burst into the public spotlight first in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt suddenly severed diplomatic relations with Qatar.
However, divisions have also emerged among apparently close allies, including between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, especially over Yemen where their interests have diverged amid fierce jockeying for position in the war-torn country.
Reacting to the events, Iran said Sunday any tension and instability in the West Asia region would only serve the Zionist regime’s interests.
The Zionist regime’s "footprint can always be found in any sedition in Muslim countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
Stressing Iran’s cordial ties with Jordan, Khatibzadeh said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is opposed to any form of internal instability and foreign interference, and believes that all countries’ affairs should be pursued within legal frameworks.”
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