As of Monday morning, Jordan’s former Crown Prince Hamza was adamant that he would not adhere by the military’s orders that he stay at home in a state of house arrest, after he reportedly met with tribal leaders linked to anti-corruption protests in the monarchy. Fears that the prince was plotting a coup were amplified by the military’s statement that he was attempting to “destabilise the kingdom’s security”—and its arrests of 16 of his alleged associates.
By Monday evening, the prince had sworn his loyalty to his half-brother, King Abdullah, potentially ending the public royal spat that had been the first indication of fissures in Jordan’s decades of Hashemite rule.
In a signed letter quoted by the palace, Prince Hamzah said he would remain faithful to the legacy of his ancestors, “walking on their path, loyal to their path and their message and to His Majesty.” The Hashemites claim lineage from the Prophet Muhammad.
“I will always be ready to help and support His Majesty the King and his Crown Prince,” he said. In 2006, he was stripped of his title of Crown Prince, which was later given to King Abdullah’s son Hussein.
Earlier, Hamzah had said that his internet and phone lines had been cut, in a video message released to the public. Hamzah on Sunday had said the military chief of staff ordered him not to go out or meet people, accusing him of trying to destabilise the country. Significantly, he sent a video clip to the BBC lambasting Jordan’s leaders, accusing them of “incompetence that has been prevalent in our governing structure for the last 15 to 20 years and has been getting worse”.
“No one is able to speak or express opinion on anything without being bullied, arrested, harassed and threatened,” he alleged.
Officials on Sunday said Prince Hamza had liaised with people who had contacts with foreign parties in a plot to destabilise Jordan, an important ally of the United States, and that he had been under investigation for some time, Reuters reported.
Jordan’s prosecutor general went on to ban the publication of any information about an alleged plot involving Prince Hamzah, detailing the whole incident as a family affair.
Multiple Arab nations expressed support for Jordan’s ruling King. Since Jordan is a staunch US ally, US officials also expressed their support for Abdullah’s regime.