Jordan: according to the royal palace, prince Hamza has promised to "remain faithful" to King Abdullah II
King Abdullah II of Jordan has reigned since 1999. His uncle, Hassan, is the crown prince.
REUTERS / Gary Cameron
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4 min
In a letter published this Monday, April 5 in a statement from the royal palace, Prince Hamza of Jordan promised to "
remain faithful
" to King Abdullah II, his half-brother, after being accused over the weekend of being involved in an "
evil
"
plot
against his country.
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King Abdullah II of Jordan took the initiative to initiate mediation with his half-brother Prince Hamza, in an attempt to settle the rift within a family which, on April 11, will celebrate a century of reign over the Jordan.
"
His Majesty King Abdullah II has decided to deal with the question of Prince Hamza within the framework of the Hashemite family
", the palace had tweeted, specifying that the king had entrusted a mediation mission to his uncle "
Prince Hassan who, in in turn, communicated with Prince Hamza and the latter said he adhered to the approach of the family
”.
Prince Hassan bin Talal, 74, was Crown Prince of Jordan from 1965 to 1999.
Soon after, Prince Hamza signed a letter in front of members of the royal family and published Monday evening in a statement from the royal palace.
“
I will remain faithful to the heritage of my ancestors, to His Majesty the King and to his Crown Prince, and I will put myself at their disposal to help and support them,
” the prince wrote.
A reversal from the position held since Saturday evening and the house arrest he claimed to suffer, in a video sent to the BBC.
Prince Hamza, 41, had hitherto displayed his mistrust by refusing to obey orders to cease his “
activities
” and restrict his movements.
He denied on Saturday the allegations against him and in return accused the power of "
corruption
" and "
incompetence
".
► Also read:
Suspicion of a conspiracy in Jordan: Prince Hamza refuses to remain silent
Deputy Prime Minister Aymane Safadi said on Sunday that the "
sedition
" had been "
nipped in the bud
", after accusing Prince Hamza of having collaborated with a "
foreign power
", unidentified, to try to destabilize the kingdom.
A discreet crackdown on critical voices
For Ahmad Awad, who heads the Phenix Center for Economics and Informatics Studies in Amman, “
what happened is a first in its intensity in the history of Jordan
”.
“
This is the start of a crisis and not the end.
This shows that political, economic and democratic reforms are needed,
”he told AFP.
► Also read:
Suspicion of a conspiracy in Jordan: "It is an event that will leave traces"
Since coming to power some thirty years ago, King Abdullah II seems to be pursuing a policy of permanent reforms.
It is moreover by reforms that it responded to the uprisings of the Arab Spring in 2011. But in 2011 as in 2018 during new uprisings, the Royal Court also used another card, that of pushing the government to the resignation.
A way of concentrating criticism on another political entity.
Today, however, the king has a central position.
He has executive power and appoints the highest officials of the state without the approval of the Prime Minister.
Several researchers also denounce the discreet repression carried out by the authorities against political opponents or even in the face of any critical voice.
In the summer of 2020, these practices came to light with the ban of the Muslim Brotherhood party, the leading opposition force in the country, then the closure of the teachers' union and the arrest of a thousand of its members. , following protest movements.
This country which presents itself as the good student in terms of economic and political reforms sees its image starting to crumble.
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