Amman, Jordan:
Jordan’s King Abdullah broke his silence Wednesday to inform his nation that the worst political crisis in decades sparked by an alleged plot involving his half-brother Prince Hamzah was more than.
The government had accused Hamzah — a former crown prince who was sidelined as heir to the throne in 2004 — of involvement in a conspiracy to “destabilise the kingdom’s security” and arrested at least 16 individuals.
But Abdullah stated Wednesday that Hamzah, who has signed a letter pledging his loyalty to the king following mediation by an uncle, was protected in his palace below his “protection”.
“I assure you, that the sedition has been nipped in the bud,” Abdullah stated in an address study out in his name on state tv, a day immediately after an official news blackout on the affair.
“The challenge of these last 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 were from home and from outside,” he stated.
It was not clear no matter if the king was referring to actors external to the royal loved ones or to the kingdom.
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday had charged that the plotters had linked up with foreign parties, but had declined to determine them.
‘Family’ matter
Hamzah was appointed crown prince in 1999 in line with his father’s wishes, but Abdullah stripped him of the title in 2004 and named his eldest son in Hamzah’s location.
After claiming he was place below home arrest Saturday, Hamzah had produced in depth use of standard and social media to lash out against his circumstance.
He accused Jordan’s rulers of corruption and ineptitude in a video message published by the BBC on Saturday.
But immediately after a statement voicing his loyalty to the king on Monday, Abdullah stated Wednesday that Hamzah had provided his assistance for the monarchy.
“Hamzah is now with his family in his palace under my protection,” Abdullah stated the address.
“He has committed before the (Hashemite) family to follow the path of his parents and grandparents, to be faithful to their message, and to place the interest of Jordan, its constitution and its laws above all other considerations.”
The crisis had laid bare divisions in a nation ordinarily noticed as a bulwark of stability in the Middle East.
Jordan borders Israel and the occupied West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It hosts US troops and is dwelling to millions of exiled Palestinians and more than half a million Syrian refugees.
The monarchy ruling Jordan — a nation extended regarded as a pro-Western anchor of stability in a turbulent area — declared it was settling the matter “within the framework of the Hashemite family”.
Relief
The king’s speech followed orders issued Tuesday by Amman prosecutor Hassan al-Abdallat that banned the publication of any data about the alleged plot in order to hold the safety services’ investigation secret.
Jordan’s media was told to wait for official statements prior to publishing something about these arrested.
Wednesday’s morning newspaper front pages had been dominated by the stop by of Saudi Foreign Minister Faysal Bin Farhan with a message from King Salman and developments in the coronavirus outbreak ravaging the nation.
Mustafa al-Riyalat, editor-in-chief of pro-government newspaper Addustour, stated Jordanians “all feel reassured, because it’s as if nothing happened.”
In the streets, Jordanians voiced relief.
“When the crisis erupted on Saturday, there was no one in the streets. People were afraid,” stated Shady, 41, who owns a clothes shop in the capital Amman.
“But thank God, it was resolved within the royal palace.”
But Ahmed Awad, of the Phenix Center for Economics and Informatics Studies, warned that the crisis was not however more than.
“There was a solution within the royal family, but not a solution to the political crisis,” he stated.
“The real political crisis… will continue until there are more democratic reforms.”
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