Prince Hamzah, estranged from Jordan, signed a letter in which he pledged to abide by the traditions and approaches of the ruling Hashemite monarch family, the royal court said in a statement, as a break that saw the prince placed under house arrest seemed to be easing.
“I put myself in the hands of His Majesty the King,” the letter read, according to the Jordanian royal court on Monday.
“I will remain committed to the constitution of the beloved Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and I will always be of help and support to His Majesty the King and his Crown Prince.”
Prince Hamzah, the former crown prince, signed the letter after meeting Prince Hassan, the king’s uncle and other princes on Monday, the royal court said.
“The interests of the homeland must remain above all consideration. We must all support the king in his efforts to protect Jordan and its national interests, ”the letter said.
The signed letter came after King Abdullah II agreed to mediate a rift within the royal family, the palace said.
The government accused Prince Hamzah of being involved in a seditious plot to “destabilize the security of the kingdom”, and detained him along with at least 16 other people, including Bassem Awadallah, a former minister and former head of the royal court.
The palace said Abdullah asked his paternal uncle, Prince Hassan, to “deal with Prince Hamzah’s issue as part of the (ruling) Hashemite family.”
Jordanian authorities on Sunday said they foiled Prince Hamzah’s “malicious plot” with foreign aid. Hamzah has denied any role and says he is being targeted for exposing corruption and bad governance.
Palace plot
There has been no independent word from Prince Hamzah himself, who says he has been under house arrest in his Amman palace. Previously it struck a provocative tone, insisting that he would continue to defy government threats ordering him to stay at home and refrain from any public statements.
“I don’t want to make moves and climb now, but of course I’m not going to obey when they say, ‘You can’t go out, you can’t tweet, you can’t communicate with people, you You don’t. are only allowed to see your family, ”the 41-year-old said in an audio recording posted to Twitter on Sunday night.
Hamzah’s recording was part of a palace plot that erupted over the weekend in Jordan, seen by the West as a stable ally in an unstable region.
The US and Arab governments quickly sided with King Abdullah after Saturday’s arrests, reflecting Jordan’s strategic importance.
Hamzah – whom Abdullah stripped of the title of crown prince in 2004 – accused Jordanian leaders of corruption, nepotism and authoritarian rule.
In a video he sent to the BBC on Saturday, he denounced “the incompetence which has prevailed in our structure of government for 15 to 20 years and which has worsened”.
“No one is able to speak or express an opinion about anything without being intimidated, arrested, harassed and threatened,” he said.
Strategic importance
Jordanian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Yousef Huneiti said on Monday that the country’s armed forces and security agencies “have the power and the experience” to deal with any development that may arise. occur indoors or in the region.
He made his comments while participating in Shield of the Nation, an exercise that included several brigades, special forces, border guards and the Royal Air Force in the kingdom’s eastern region, the Petra state news agency said.
Huneiti said the troops will confront anyone who “attempts to endanger the security of the nation, terrifies its citizens and threatens the security and stability of the kingdom.”
Prince Hamzah’s unprecedented criticism of the ruling class – without naming the king – could support growing complaints about poor governance and human rights violations in Jordan.
Abdullah and Hamzah are both sons of King Hussein, who remains a beloved figure two decades after his death. Upon ascending the throne in 1999, Abdullah appointed Hamzah as crown prince, only to revoke the title five years later. Hassan, the uncle, had also been crown prince but was removed from his post shortly before Hussein’s death.
While Abdullah and Hamzah are said to have generally good relations, Hamzah has recently forged ties with powerful tribal leaders in a move seen as a threat to the king.
