Rifts in Jordan’s royal family rarely spill out into the public. But over the past few days, they captured the world’s attention after what was either a brutal crackdown against familial dissent or the collapse of a daring conspiracy against the crown.
What exactly happened remains unclear, but the evident turmoil inside one of America’s staunchest Middle Eastern allies seen in Washington as a linchpin against terrorists and for desired peace between Israelis and Palestinians made the US and other nations immediately take notice.
What roils Jordan is a high-stakes he-said/he-said.
The government of 59-year-old King Abdullah II claims Prince Hamzah bin al-Hussein, the ruler’s 41-year-old half-brother and years-long critic of his sibling, led a foreign-backed scheme to “promote sedition” with the goal of “destabilizing Jordan’s security” phrasing that heavily implies a coup attempt.
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Women walk past a poster of Jordan s King Abdullah II on a street in the capital Amman, on April 6, 2021, after a security crackdown revealed tensions in the monarchy. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP)
AMMAN, Jordan Jordanian King Abdullah II is a key Western ally who has made the stability of his country in the restive Middle East a top priority.
In recent days, that image of stability has taken a hit, amid a palace rift in which his younger half-brother Prince Hamzah is accused of plotting against him.
Abdullah, 59, is a British-educated former special forces commander who swapped his military helmet for the crown more than two decades ago.
Jordan’s Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein in a 2015 photo (KHALIL MAZRAAWI / AFP)
Among those under arrest are a former close aide to the royal family, Bassem Awadallah, chief of the royal court in 2007-08, and Sherif Hassan bin Zaid, a former special envoy to Saudi Arabia.
What were their aims?
Even though the Washington Post quoting US intelligence sources said there had been an attempted coup, analysts say that seems unlikely.
“It is impossible to prepare a coup d’etat without the support of the main army units and the security and intelligence services. And all these forces are behind the king,” said Oraib Al-Rantawi, an analyst with the Al-Quds Centre for Policy Studies.