(The defense team for those detained in what is known as the "Sedition" case in Jordan expressed its dissatisfaction with what it described as the authorities' "denial" of basic rights... and demanded permission to see them and review the investigations conducted with them... London Arabi21, 19/04/2021)... (The Jordanian government had stated that all suspects would appear before the judiciary, including the former head of the Royal Court, Bassem Awadallah, with the exception of Prince Hamzah, whose crisis would be resolved within the ruling Hashemite family... London Arabi21, 14/04/2021). The question is: what happened and is happening in Jordan? Is it an attempt at a coup against King Abdullah II? Is this the result of an internal dispute within the ruling family because Prince Hamzah is at the head of the accused, or does it have external links as announced by the Jordanian Foreign Minister? And what is their nature?
The Answer: To clarify the reality of what occurred, we review the following points:
Although Jordanian officials, and consequently the Jordanian media and many Arab satellite channels, have avoided calling the events in Jordan a coup attempt—instead labeling it a conspiracy to destabilize Jordan's security and stability—all contexts point toward a coup attempt that was nipped in the bud during its final preparation stages. What indicates that this was in the final moments was the deployment of security forces in certain areas of the capital, meaning a state of fear and anticipation of imminent movements by certain sectors of the army that are supposedly loyal to the aforementioned names, especially Prince Hamzah. However, the lack of announcement regarding arrests within the ranks of army officers and the emphasis on this indicates that the matter was under preparation and the issue of the appropriate time for implementation was being deliberated. A conspiracy of this magnitude cannot be carried out without army officers.
On the first day, April 3, 2021, of these government announcements, Prince Hamzah announced via a video recording that he had been placed under house arrest (Former Jordanian Crown Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein confirmed on Saturday the news of his detention and house arrest, following an official denial, after an arrest operation that targeted former Royal Court Chief Bassem Awadallah and other figures... Anadolu Agency, 03/04/2021). The state and its announcements were hesitant to directly accuse Prince Hamzah of involvement in that conspiracy to avoid tarnishing the "prestige" of the ruling family and showing its members conspiring against one another. However, the next day, official announcements were explicit in accusing Prince Hamzah of this: (Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi confirmed in a press conference today that the Armed Forces and the General Intelligence Directorate monitored activities and movements by Prince Hamzah, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, and Bassem Awadallah targeting Jordan's security and stability. Safadi added that the concerned agencies monitored communications between the mentioned persons and foreign parties regarding the most appropriate timing to implement a plan to destabilize the country's stability and security. BBC, 04/04/2021). It is likely that discussing the "most appropriate timing" means the matter was in the preparation stage, but the state feared it was imminent, so it decided to strike and arrest.
As for the "external parties," they are not a secret but are spoken of in official Jordanian announcements. Among what was stated by Foreign Minister Safadi: ("Investigations monitored communications by Prince Hamzah with external parties to destabilize the country's security." ... "A person with links to foreign security services was monitored communicating with Prince Hamzah's wife, offering to provide a plane for her to leave the country; the mentioned movements were completely controlled, and Jordan's security is stable and firm." I24, 04/04/2021)... (Safadi explained that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with Prince Hamzah and asked him to stop the movements targeting the country's security, but the Prince refused to respond to the request and dealt with it negatively, according to Safadi... The Jordanian Foreign Minister continued, saying that preliminary investigations reported that Prince Hamzah was in constant coordination with former Royal Court Chief Bassem Awadallah regarding his steps... Safadi also said, "We monitored interventions and communications with foreign parties regarding the most appropriate timing to begin steps to destabilize Jordan's stability," adding that there are efforts to contain the situation within the Hashemite family, and "no one is above the law." Al Jazeera Net, 04/04/2021). With these announced arrests and others not yet announced, King Abdullah II’s regime, which is loyal to the British, was about to be subjected to a coup attempt led by his brother, Prince Hamzah...
As for who these external and foreign parties are, indicators point to American involvement in the events in Jordan, which is evident from the following:
a. Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, the former King of Jordan’s son, is the son of American citizen Lisa Najeeb Halaby, who married King Hussein and became known as "Noor Al-Hussein." After the death of her husband, the King, in 1999, she returned to the United States and had some activities indicating her interests as an American citizen, although she did not sever her ties with Jordan and has a palace there where she stays when visiting. She had an influence on King Hussein when, shortly before his death, he removed his brother Hassan from the succession and appointed his son Abdullah as Crown Prince to become King after him, making Hamzah the new Crown Prince... This is what happened, as Abdullah became King and Hamzah became Crown Prince in 1999. It was observed that Americans took over his protection, supervision, and direct communication, so his loyalty to America appeared. His American maternal lineage, his higher education in America at Harvard University, and the Americans' communication with him made him loyal to them. Therefore, Abdullah II removed his brother Hamzah from the position of Crown Prince in 2004, which left Hamzah with bitterness over the lost opportunity to become King and created a spirit of revenge against his brother. The position of Crown Prince remained vacant until Abdullah II appointed his son Hussein to this position in 2009. From here, a hidden conflict emerged within the ruling family, as the Americans were able to buy a figure from within it, similar to what happened in the land of Najd and Hijaz when the Americans were able to buy Salman and his son within the Saudi family, which was nurtured by the British, raised by them, and reached power through them when they rebelled against the Khilafah state while linked to the British.
b. It seems that King Abdullah and the British behind him noticed strong relations between the Americans and the young Prince Hamzah, especially through his mother Lisa "Noor." Therefore, the King moved to remove him from the succession in 2004 without appointing a replacement, but in the concept of monarchies, the King's eldest son becomes the Crown Prince, a matter confirmed by a royal decree in 2009. This increased Hamzah's desire to bring about a change in governance following the Saudi model by following America instead of continuing to follow Britain. Thus, Hamzah began working to form groups domestically and abroad with American support and guidance... It was difficult for the King to arrest Hamzah for fear of a pressuring American position against him. So, English cunning was behind a move that would embarrass America from intervening against the King when he moved to arrest Hamzah and his group; this move was the Joint Defense Agreement. The King signed it with America, giving it everything it wanted, and published it in the Official Gazette even before presenting it to the House of Representatives, as is customary in such agreements!
c. (The agreement was signed on January 31 last year, approved by the government on February 17, and the royal will was issued approving it to be published in the Official Gazette and become effective, without being presented to the National Assembly in both its branches, the Deputies and the Notables... According to the agreement, Jordan provides exclusive locations for US forces including 15 sites, and the American side controls entry to these places. These forces may possess and carry weapons on Jordanian territory while performing their official duties... and permitted the use of the radio spectrum and wire and wireless communications without Jordanian oversight... The agreement stipulated that its duration is 15 years, unless terminated by either party by written notice one year in advance through diplomatic channels... Arabi21, Friday 19/03/2021). Arabi21 did not mention the date of publication in the Official Gazette... but it was mentioned in CNN Arabic on 21/03/2021: [The Jordanian government had approved the agreement on February 17, and the royal will was issued approving it and a decision regarding it was published in the Official Gazette on March 16, after it was signed on January 31 last year.] This was also reported by Amman Net (ammannet.com) on 18/03/2021: [The Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of the United States of America, which was published in the Official Gazette in Issue No. (5706) on 16/03/2021...] It is clear from this that the haste in publishing the agreement in the Official Gazette was remarkably hurried!
d. Then the government began arresting (detaining) Hamzah and his group on 03/04/2021. Consequently, the agreement created an embarrassment for America to intervene against the King, its partner in the Joint Defense Agreement, who gave them what they wanted, and even more, according to the agreement! It seems America realized this after the arrest of that group and placing Hamzah under virtual house arrest. It delayed its statement regarding the events until 07/04/2021: (The White House announced that "US President Biden spoke today '07/04/2021' to Jordanian King Abdullah II to express strong US support for Jordan... France Press, 07/04/2021). It supports Jordan, not specifically the King. Thus, the American response to the events came late and its tone differed from the tone of the British response: (Britain announced its keenness on the stability of governance in Jordan, and British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly tweeted on 04/04/2021, saying: "We are closely following events in Jordan... Jordan is a highly valued partner to the UK. The King has our full support").
e. America hinted through its newspapers at the measures of the regime in Jordan. The New York Times said on 06/04/2021: ("The whereabouts of Prince Hamzah, his office manager Yasser Al-Majali, and the latter's cousin Samir Al-Majali remain unknown until this morning. The failure to disclose the location of the Prince and his office manager is an indication that the tense situation in Jordan has not completely dissipated..."). The Washington Post on 03/04/2021 was the first to reveal these events in Jordan and that Prince Hamzah was under arrest at home or in prison. This forced the Jordanian authorities to announce what was happening. It was not the Interior Minister or the Prime Minister who announced it, but rather Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was pushed to announce it in a press conference, saying: "The number of people arrested on Saturday (03/04/2021) ranges between 14 and 16, and no military leaders were arrested. The movements led by Prince Hamzah were completely controlled and besieged, and investigations are still ongoing. There are attempts to destabilize Jordan, and security agencies have monitored during the recent period communications of the circle close to Prince Hamzah with external parties, including the Jordanian opposition abroad, accusing them of planning to destabilize Jordan. Investigations have been going on for a long time, and the authorities moved after the suspects moved from the planning stage to determining the time of action" (Jordanian Petra Agency, 04/04/2021).
f. After thwarting that plan, Abdullah II spoke on 07/04/2021, five days after the events, saying: ("Prince Hamzah is today with his family in his palace under my care, and the sedition has been nipped in the bud, and the country is safe and stable, protected by the determination of Jordanians and the dedication of the army and security services. The challenge of the past few days was not the hardest or most dangerous to our country's stability, but it was the most painful, because the parties to the sedition were within our own house and outside it. Nothing approaches what I felt of shock, pain, and anger, as a brother, the guardian of the Hashemite family, and the leader of this people." He pointed out that "Prince Hamzah committed before the family to follow the path of the fathers and grandfathers, to be loyal to their message, and to place Jordan's interest, its constitution, and its laws above any other considerations.")
Summary:
The King was able to thwart America's plan to bring about a change in governance by removing King Abdullah and replacing him with Hamzah. This was achieved through the Joint Defense Agreement and by giving America what it wanted in terms of violating the country's land and sky, thus embarrassing America from intervening to support Hamzah against the King, its partner in the agreement!
It can be said that a calm in the American-British struggle will occur in Jordan, but it will be temporary. America is preparing itself as the successor to British colonialism in the region, and it is not unlikely that America will exploit the agreement for purposes other than those for which the King hurried to conclude it!
The international struggle in the Muslim lands for the division of dominance and influence does not end except through true change, which is the resumption of the Islamic way of life by establishing the Rightly Guided Khilafah that honors Islam and the Muslims and cuts off the roots of the disbelievers.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هُوَ قُلْ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ قَرِيباً
"And they say, 'When will that be?' Say, 'Perhaps it is near.'" (Surah Al-Isra [17]: 51)
7th of the Blessed Ramadan 1442 AH 19/04/2021 CE