Jordan King, Prince Appear Together for First Time Since Rift

Jordan’s King Abdullah II and his half brother Prince Hamzah made their first joint public appearance Sunday since a palace feud last week.

Members of the Jordanian royal family marked the centenary of the establishment of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate that preceded the kingdom. The royal palace released a photo with Abdullah II, Prince Hamzah, Crown Prince Hussein and other dignitaries at the grave of King Talal in Amman, Jordan’s capital.

Hamzah was seen for the first time since he was placed under a form of house arrest amid accusations he was involved in a plot to destabilize the kingdom.

The king and prince had a rare public rift last week, with Abdullah II portraying it as an act of sedition involving his half-brother. At least 18 other people were detained in connection with the plot.

Jordanian authorities had accused Hamzah, the former crown prince, of involvement in a “malicious plot” along with two other senior officials. Hamzah denied the allegations.

Abdullah and Hamzah are both sons of the late King Hussein, who ruled for almost a half-century until his death in 1999.

Jordan has long been seen as a relatively stable western ally in the Middle East in a turbulent region. But the past year of the coronavirus has rocked the country’s largely tourism-dependent economy.