Jordan king, prince make first joint appearance since royal rift

King Abdullah has attempted to signal in recent days that the situation is under control but Sunday's staged event left it unclear whether the king and his popular half brother have truly put aside their differences.

Jordanian King Abdullah II (R), Prince Hassan Bin Talal (L) and Prince Hamzah (C) arrive at the Raghadan Palace in Amman, Jordan,  April 11, 2021
AFP

Jordanian King Abdullah II (R), Prince Hassan Bin Talal (L) and Prince Hamzah (C) arrive at the Raghadan Palace in Amman, Jordan, April 11, 2021

Jordan's King Abdullah has appeared in public alongside his half-brother Prince Hamzah, state TV showed, in their first joint appearance since a palace crisis involving the prince rocked the kingdom.

The images showed a group of Hashemite royals at a mausoleum where their ancestors are buried, on the 100th anniversary since the founding of the kingdom, in the Raghdan palace in Amman on Sunday.

The palace Twitter account published a picture of the group at a cemetery with the caption "HM King Abdullah II, HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein... (and) Hamzah bin al Hussein... visit tomb of HM the late King Abdullah I".

All were dressed in civilian clothes, apart from Hussein, the heir to the throne, who wore military dress.

Abdullah has attempted to signal in recent days that the situation is under control. But Sunday's staged event left it unclear whether the king and his popular half brother have truly put aside their differences. The conflict had escalated into the most serious public rift in the ruling family in decades, although Hamzah has denied any wrongdoing.

READ MORE: Jordan king says palace crisis after alleged plot is 'over'

'Sedition..nipped in the bud'

The government had accused Hamzah – a former crown prince who was sidelined as heir to the throne in favour of Abdullah's son Hussein in 2004 – of involvement in a conspiracy to "destabilise the kingdom's security".

At least 16 people were arrested.

But Abdullah said on Wednesday that Hamzah, who has signed a letter pledging his loyalty to the king following mediation by an uncle, was safe in his palace under his "care".

In an address read out in his name on state television, the king added that "sedition has been nipped in the bud".

The monarch said the crisis was "the most painful" because it came from both inside the royal family and outside it.

READ MORE: Jordan's Prince Hamza vows loyalty to king after mediation

A royal crisis

Hamzah had been appointed crown prince and heir to the throne in 1999 in line with his father's wishes, but Abdullah stripped him of the title in 2004 and named his own eldest son Hussein in Hamzah's place.

Hamzah in a video message published by the BBC on April 3 claimed he had been placed under house arrest and accused Jordan's rulers of corruption and ineptitude.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi then charged that a group of plotters had linked up with foreign parties to destabilise Jordan, but declined to identify them.

After mediation talks, however, Hamzah voiced his loyalty to the king.

"Prince Hamzah pledged before the family to follow in the steps of the ancestors, remain loyal to their mission, and to put Jordan's interest, constitution and laws above all considerations," the king said Wednesday.

A probe into the events continues, the king added.

In announcing last week that the military had warned Hamza over his actions, the government said that Hamza had liaised with people linked to foreign parties seeking to destabilise Jordan and that he had been under investigation for some time.

Hamza had been widely expected to succeed Abdullah as Jordan’s next king, until the monarch made his own son, Prince Hussein, heir instead in 2004, in line with family tradition.

READ MORE: Jordan's former crown prince: I will disobey army orders to keep silent

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While Hamza and Abdullah have publicly buried the hatchet, the dramatic events of the last week exposed faultlines within a royal family that has helped shield Jordan from the turmoil that has consumed neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The crisis laid bare divisions in a pro-Western country usually seen as a bulwark of stability in the Middle East.

Jordan borders Israel and the occupied West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It hosts US troops and is home to millions of exiled Palestinians and many Syrian refugees.

The king's address followed orders issued by Amman prosecutor Hassan al Abdallat that banned the publication of any information about the alleged plot in order to keep the security services' investigation secret.

The UN human rights office said on Friday it was concerned about a lack of transparency surrounding the alleged plot.

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