Unprecedent Public Fracture Rocks Jordan’s Ruling Family
Voice of America
AMMAN - Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi says that King Abdullah's half-brother and former crown prince, Prince Hamza, liaised with foreign parties over a plot to destabilize the country. Hamzah, an outspoken critic of corruption in Jordan, had called for holding those responsible to account. Analysts believe the opposition is not to the government, but to economic, political and social policies adopted by the king.
Division in Jordan’s ruling royal family erupted into the open late Saturday when Prince Hamzah, King Abdullah’s younger half-brother, announced he could not leave his home and state media reported that senior officials had been detained in a security probe. Hamzah sent a video recording to the BBC saying he was being silenced and lashed out at authorities saying the country had become “stymied in corruption, nepotism and misrule.” Jordan’s military told Hamzah to stop activities targeting the country’s “stability and security.” While those actions were not publicly spelled out, Army chief Yousef Huneiti denied reports that Hamzah had been arrested. Jordanian analyst Labib Kamhawi explains what may have led to actions taken against Hamzah. “His latest campaign in visiting various tribes which the king believes is the base of his power, the source of all the security personnel, the army, the intelligence," he said. "He looked at Hamzah’s attempt to penetrate these tribes as a direct threat to his power base. What the king did is to pre-empt things and simply put an end to Hamzah’s campaign. At the same time, he gave a clear signal to all the opposition in Jordan that my tolerance has a limit. Even my brother had to pay for opposing me and my policies.”A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's rocket launch during a news program at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, May 27, 2024. FILE - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks to reporters in Colombo, July 29, 2023. FILE - A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's spy satellite into orbit with its third launch attempt this year with an image of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2023.
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. A member of the bomb squad of the Israeli police collects debris after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants struck in the Israeli city of Herzliya on May 26, 2024.