Breaking silence, Jordanian king says royal family disagreement has ended
AMMAN, Jordan — King Abdullah II of Jordan broke his silence Wednesday night over the unusually public rift with his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, justifying the steps he had taken to curb his brother’s contact with the outside world, while asserting that the prince’s “sedition has been nipped in the bud.”
In an open letter addressed to the Jordanian people that was read by a newscaster on television, King Abdullah wrote that Prince Hamzah had committed “to put Jordan’s interest, constitution and laws above all considerations,” according to an official translation of the letter released by the royal palace.
The king added, “Hamzah today is with his family, in his palace, under my care.” The prince had claimed that he was under house arrest. He has not been seen in public since the rift became public this past weekend.
On Sunday, the Jordanian government accused Prince Hamzah, a former crown prince, of having plotted to undermine the security of the country. Several aides and associates of the prince were arrested, and the prince himself was ordered to refrain from making public comments or communicating with people outside the royal family.
The news shocked Jordanians and foreign allies alike. Jordan has historically been a pillar of stability in the turbulent Middle East, and the ruling family has rarely aired its disputes in public.
In a pointed display of support for the monarch, the head of the executive branch of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, visited King Abdullah on Wednesday. President Joe Biden later phoned the king to offer “full solidarity with Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty,” according to a statement published by a state-run news agency in Jordan.
King Abdullah’s letter constitutes the first time the monarch himself has commented on the rift.
Prince Hamzah had previously distributed two videos about the situation, denying any involvement in a conspiracy but excoriating the Jordanian government and saying he had been put under house arrest.
In his statement Wednesday, the king spoke of his personal discomfort at his disagreement with Prince Hamzah.
“The challenge over the past few days was not the most difficult or dangerous to the stability of our nation,” he wrote, “but to me, it was the most painful.”
He added, “Sedition came from within and without our one house, and nothing compares to my shock, pain, and anger as a brother and as the head of the Hashemite family, and as a leader of this proud people.”