Jordan’s king breaks silence after royal drama grips the nation
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“Sedition got here from inside and with out our one home, and nothing compares to my shock, ache, and anger as a brother and because the head of the Hashemite household, and as a frontrunner of this proud folks,” stated King Abdullah in a written assertion launched on Wednesday.
Addressing hypothesis on the whereabouts of Prince Hamzah, who’s Abdullah’s half-brother, the King stated the favored royal was “along with his household, at his palace, in my care.”
“Sedition” within the kingdom had now been “nipped within the bud,” he additionally stated.
What Prince Hamzah stated
Prince Hamzah was Jordan’s crown prince for 5 years after his father, King Hussein, died in 1999. In 2004, King Abdullah stripped him of his title as inheritor obvious, and later named his then-teenage son Prince Hussein bin Abdullah as crown prince.
In video recordings launched to the BBC final weekend, Prince Hamzah denied allegations of an anti-government plot, chastised the nation’s management, and stated he was underneath efficient home arrest with web and cellphone strains had been eliminated.
However the debacle appeared to wind down on Monday night when Jordan’s royal courtroom launched a doc signed by Hamzah pledging allegiance to the king.
“The nationwide curiosity should stay above all else, and we should all stand behind His Majesty the King in his efforts to safeguard Jordan and its nationwide pursuits, and make sure the greatest for the Jordanian folks,” reads the letter, which has the Prince’s letterhead on it.
Jordanian authorities have additionally eased a media gag order about Prince Hamzah’s case, permitting social media chatter once more on a topic that has polarized Jordanians.
Jordan is mired in financial issues amid a rising outcry towards alleged authorities corruption and mismanagement. Anger has been constructing amongst its youth — who account for many of the inhabitants — over the state of a deteriorating economic system made worse by the pandemic.
Unemployment and poverty charges have reached file highs. Discontent has pushed Jordanians to the streets, however tolerance for protests has diminished considerably.
CNN’s Eyad Kourdi, Caroline Faraj, Hamdi Alkhshali and Zeena Saifi contributed to this report.