Fog looms over Jordan’s brothers position after the failed coup attempt
As Islamist MPs in Jordan released statements defending Prince Hamzah, who the government confirmed was involved in the plot, which targeted the country’s security and stability, the Brotherhood in Jordan issued a statement on Monday, which did not show a clear position on recent events in the kingdom.
The Brotherhood’s statement called for what it described as speeding up the completion of a comprehensive initiative that works on dismantling the national crisis that does not stop at the borders of what happened in the last days, establishing real stability, political development and economic recovery, launching a comprehensive and serious national dialog in which all components of the nation participate, fighting corruption in all their forms, preserving public freedoms and stopping attacks on the authorities.
The statement added that Jordan’s political, social and security stability is a firm national interest that every sincere Jordanian is keen to achieve. The statement confirmed the group’s categorical rejection of any external interference in Jordan’s internal affairs from any source.
An Actual Conspiracy
Adnan Mashouka, the rapporteur of the Reform Bloc of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Brotherhood, said that he did not believe there was an actual conspiracy against Jordan as mentioned in the official statement, adding that he rejected offending any member of the ruling family, and that he was the first to resolve the dispute with Prince Hamzah within the family and not in public.
Islamist MP Saleh Al-Armouti defended Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein, describing the government statement issued against him as an attempt to demonize him, saying in a statement to the Qatari Al-Jazeera Channel that : In the government press conference, Prince Hamzah’s contacts with external parties and a plot to destabilize Jordan’s security and stability were not based on any evidence.
Call for political reform
There has been a flurry of reactions from political forces on the unprecedented event in the Kingdom, amid calls for comprehensive political reform to extricate the country from the current crisis. Former MP and one of the most prominent civil leaders in Jordan, Qais Zayadin, said that Jordanians are aware of what is happening in their country, and that what happened should be taken seriously in order to strengthen the domestic front.
Hazem Kashoua, Secretary General of the Al-Risala Party (center), stressed that there is no disagreement about the Hashemite leadership, pointing out that despite all what happened, no citizen offended Prince Hamzah, and this indicates the awareness of the people.
On Sunday evening, Jordan announced the foiling of a plot to destabilize the country, confirming the involvement of Prince Hamzah, former chief of the Royal Court, Bassem Awadallah, and Sharif Hassan Bin Zeid in this plot. This came in an official statement read by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ayman Al-Safadi, to clarify the arrests that took place on Saturday.
Al-Safadi said that the security forces, through intensive joint comprehensive investigations carried out over a long period by the Jordanian Armed Forces, the General Intelligence Department, and the General Security Directorate, monitored the activities and movements of Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein, Al-Sharif Hassan Bin Zaid, Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, and other persons targeting the security and stability of the country. He added that contacts were monitored with foreign parties to choose the time most appropriate to destabilize the security of the country. Those around Prince Hamzah were in contact with self-described external opposition.
These movements have been controlled and besieged, the statement said. State agencies were able to nip her in the bud, he said, noting that between 14 and 16 people were arrested as part of the investigation, in addition to Bassem Awadallah and al-Sharif Hassan bin Zaid.
