According to the New York Times, later on April 5, the Jordanian royal family announced that King Abdullah II of Jordan and his half-brother Prince Hamza had agreed to mediate. Subsequently, Prince Hamza said in a statement that he had sworn allegiance to the king.
Just a day earlier, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Safadi had said his country had foiled a "vicious conspiracy" and that Hamza had been found to be in contact with foreign powers in an attempt to "undermine national security and stability."
According to Xinhua News Agency's Report in Amman on April 3, Prince Hamza said he was under house arrest on the same day, while accusing Jordan's "ruling system" of corruption and incompetence, thus exposing "a rare rift between the ruling monarch of this close Western ally and his family members."
Prince Hamza. According to the Washington Post
Today, this rare "royal split, coup conspiracy" incident in Jordan's history has been successfully resolved in just three days – "activities against national security and stability" have become "family affairs", "vicious conspiracies" have become "misunderstandings" and "clumsy acts" of individual officials.
In this regard, many people wonder: is the situation really so simple? Why did this "storm" make many countries in the Middle East and Western countries sweat with it?
"Former Crown Prince Coup Conspiracy" Suddenly Becomes "Misunderstanding"
Clan elders intervene to mediate "family affairs"
On April 3, the Jordanian royal family arrested nearly 20 high-ranking officials and members of the royal family in order to limit the "threat to national security and stability" of former Crown Prince Hamza. According to foreign media reports, the palace turmoil involved a coup d'état plot and may also have the support of overseas forces.
The next day, the situation escalated. Jordan's deputy prime minister, Ayman Safadi, said his country had foiled a "vicious conspiracy." At a news conference that day, he said authorities had intercepted communications between Hamza and foreign powers about the timing of measures to undermine Jordan's security, and that security services had demanded that those involved in the plot be transferred to the National Security Court.
However, on the 5th, the wind direction changed suddenly. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Jordanian royal family said Abdullah II had agreed to mediate "to deal with the issue of Prince Hamza within the framework of the Hashemite family."
King Abdullah II of Jordan. According to the Washington Post
The royal court said the five older princes had seen Hamza. The role of mediator was given to Prince Hassan, the uncle of Abdullah II and Prince Hamza. Like Prince Hamza, Prince Hassan was once the heir to the throne. Orib Rantawi, director of the Al-Quds Center for Political Research in Amman, said Prince Hassan was the best person to mediate, given his age and status in the family — he was able to "bring the family together again."
According to Malik R. Dahlan, a professional mediator and friend of the Hashemite family, the mediation was "very successful and it is foreseeable that things will be resolved soon." Malik R. Dahlan himself is a long-time confidant of Prince Hamza. He added that the incident was "due to the clumsy behavior of a senior security official and a misunderstanding by a government official," stressing that "it should be handled as a family affair."
Just a few hours after the mediation message was sent, the royal family issued a second statement. In this statement, signed by Prince Hamza, he reversed his attitude two days earlier and instead praised the king, recognizing Abdullah II's status as heir to the hashemite family and swearing allegiance to him.
The "royal split" crisis was downgraded
There are still many questions that remain unanswered
In just three days, the rare "royal split and coup conspiracy" incident in Jordan's history was downgraded to "family affairs", and the clan elders came forward to mediate the dispute between the two brothers. The situation was so rapidly degraded, which made many people breathe a big sigh of relief, but also left a lot of questions.
Jordan is a politically stable country, and arrests of members of the royal family and top state officials are not common, according to the Washington Post. According to Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Safedy at a press conference on the 3rd, the investigation involved a complex political conspiracy, including at least one other member of the Jordanian royal family and a number of officials of the country's political and security departments. However, it is not clear what the content of this conspiracy was and to what extent the conspirators involved were carried out.
However, the previous question has not yet been answered, and now the reconciliation is sudden. As of the evening of the 5th, the location of Prince Hamza has not been disclosed. Since he claimed to be "under house arrest" in the video on the 3rd, he has not appeared in public; in addition, in the video on the 3rd, Prince Hamza has just fiercely criticized the national leadership, but after two days, he "reversed the tone", which is inevitable to cause speculation.
On the 3rd, Prince Hamza, who published a recorded video through the media, said that he was "under house arrest" a few hours ago. Graph network
Hamza, 41, is the son of the late King Hussein of Jordan and his fourth wife, Queen Nur, and the half-brother of the current King Abdullah II. Abdullah II appointed Hamza crown prince in February 1999, and in November 2004 he appointed his son, Prince Hussein, as heir to the throne. AFP said Hamza was now "an outspoken critic".
Since "Hamza was found to be in contact with foreign powers in an attempt to 'undermine national security and stability'", many Jordanians have said on social media that the allegations against Prince Hamza are illogical. These netizens believe that Hamza and the former Jordanian finance and planning minister, Basim Awadala, who was arrested this time, do not have much in common on public policy, and are even at odds with each other in many ways.
The "Fortress of Stability in the Middle East" has suddenly made waves
Jordan is a nerve in the Middle East
This sudden royal storm not only shocked Jordan's own people, but also made Jordan's allies and many international followers sweat.
According to CNN, in the past few decades, Jordan has miraculously remained unscathed in the environment of war and turmoil in the Middle East, like a "safe island", and the stability of the country and the continuity of its rule are the foundation of its founding.
In 1921, the British divided palestine into two areas, still called Palestine in the west, and established the Emirate of Transjordan in the east. In 1946, Transjordan formally became independent, called the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan; in 1950, it was renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, or "Jordan" for short. The royal family that rules Jordan to this day is the Hashemite family, which is also one of the oldest families in the world, to which the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, belonged.
On 27 May 2004, King Abdullah II of Jordan (first from right) and Queen Rania (second from right), together with Prince Hamza's mother, Queen Noor, the fourth wife of the late King Hussein ( centre ) , attended the wedding of Prince Hamza and Princess Noor. Pictured according to Yahoo News
Many analysts believe that the reason why Jordan can be known as the "Fortress of Stability in the Middle East" is that in addition to the country's special geographical location and important strategic significance in the Middle East, it is also largely due to the far-reaching religious influence of the Hashemite family because of its history. At the same time, with political unrest in other countries in the region as a lesson in the past, Jordanians have always been adept at solving problems behind closed doors and trying to avoid civil unrest.
Not only Does Jordan itself not want to "chaos", but many countries do not want Jordan to "chaos". As soon as the news of the relevant "coup" came out, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries quickly expressed their support for King Abdullah II of Jordan. The United States also made its position clear at the first time, saying that King Abdullah II is a "key partner" of the United States and "has our full support."
Some analysts pointed out that once there is turmoil in Jordan, it will mean trouble for many countries in the Middle East; in addition, Jordan is a close partner of the Western countries led by the United States in the diplomatic, military and counter-terrorism matters in the Middle East, as well as the most long-lasting peace treaty with Israel, and its important role in the security of the Middle East region is "irreplaceable".
In a statement, Arab League Secretary-General Gheit eagerly stressed that he believes in the wisdom of the Jordanian leadership and also believes in its ardent desire to ensure national stability while respecting the Constitution and laws; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also said that as a good friend of Jordan, China supports the measures taken by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan to safeguard national security and stability, and believes that under the leadership of King Abdullah II, Jordan is fully capable of handling internal affairs and maintaining long-term peace and stability in the country.
Red Star News reporter Lin Rong
Edited by Li Binbin
Previously reported >>>>
Something happened in Jordan... Twenty high-ranking officials were arrested, and the prince posted a video claiming to be under house arrest
(Download Red Star News, there are prizes for the newspaper!) ）