Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and former crown prince Hamza bin Hussein
Amman … News Time
Jordan’s Prince Hamza swore allegiance to King Abdullah after mediation by the royal family; the prince was accused of destabilizing the country and was placed under house arrest for two days. According to the British news agency Reuters, after a meeting between King Abdullah’s uncle Prince Hassan and other princes, Prince Hamza signed a letter in which he presented himself before the king. The letter said, “I surrender myself to the king. I will abide by the constitution of the beloved Hashmi kingdom of Jordan.” Earlier, a tweet from the royal palace said the king had trusted Prince Hassan, a former crown prince, to handle the matter, and that Prince Hamza had accepted the family’s mediation. Earlier on Saturday, the military warned Prince Hamza of his actions, which he described as undermining “security and stability” in Jordan, while Prince Hamza said he had been detained. Several high-profile figures were also imprisoned.
Given that Prince Hamza was not seen as a direct threat to the king, his actions showed that he wanted to assert his position among the people of Jordan after being removed from the royal throne. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. According to officials, Prince Hamza also visited the homes of those killed in the hope of overthrowing the king. This is the first such dispute in the Jordanian royal family in many years.
Case Background:
On Saturday, Prince Hamza bin Hussein released a video message via the BBC in which he accused the Jordanian ruler of nepotism and corruption and said he had been detained. The former crown prince sent his message via satellite link from his palace in the Jordanian capital, Amman. In it, he slammed Jordan’s “rule of law” and said that several of his friends had been arrested, their security had been lifted and internet and phone lines had been cut off. He denied being part of any conspiracy or rogue organization but also said that the country of 10 million people was stagnant in corruption, nepotism and mismanagement and no one was allowed to criticize the authorities. Jordanian officials said they had foiled a plot to destabilize the kingdom, which involved a half-brother of King Abdullah II, and arrested at least 16 suspects. Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said Hamza bin Hussein and others worked with foreign parties to undermine Jordan’s security. It should be noted here that Hamza bin Hussein was the former Crown Prince from whom the King withdrew this position in 2004.
