King Abdullah said in a written statement, “The strife came from within and without our one home, and nothing compares to my shock, pain and anger as my brother and the head of the Hashemite family and as the leader of this proud people.” The statement was released on Wednesday.
In response to speculation about the whereabouts of Prince Hamzah, who is Abdullah’s half-brother, the king said that the popular king was “with his family, in his palace, in my care.”
He also said that the “sedition” in the kingdom now “has passed its cradle.”
What Prince Hamzah said
Prince Hamzah was the crown prince of Jordan for five years after the death of his father, King Hussein, in 1999. In 2004, King Abdullah stripped him of his title as crown prince, then appointed his teenage son at the time Prince Hussein bin Abdullah as crown prince.
In video recordings released to the BBC last weekend, Prince Hamzah denied allegations of an anti-government plot, blamed the country’s leadership, and said he was under de facto house arrest with the internet and phone lines had been removed.
But it seems that the disaster ended Monday evening when the Jordanian royal court issued a document signed by Hamza pledging allegiance to the king.
“The national interest must remain above all considerations, and we must all stand behind His Majesty the King in his efforts to preserve Jordan and its national interests, and to ensure the good of the Jordanian people,” reads in the letter bearing the title of the Emir. on him.
Jordanian authorities have also relaxed a media ban on the issue of Prince Hamzah, allowing social media conversations to again be held on a topic that polarized Jordanians.
Jordan is mired in economic troubles amid a growing protest against alleged government corruption and mismanagement. Anger was mounting among the youth – who account for most of the population – over the ailing economy, exacerbated by the epidemic.
Unemployment and poverty rates have reached record levels. Resentment prompted Jordanians to take to the streets, but the tolerance for the protests diminished dramatically.
Iyad Kurdi, Caroline Farag, Hamdi Al-Khashali and Zeina Al-Saifi contributed to this report from CNN.
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