Jordan’s stepbrother King Abdullah, Prince Hamzah bin-Hussein, was placed under house arrest after visiting with the families of COVID-19 patients.
According to Reuters, that visit triggered a response from the Jordanian monarchy. A senior official called the event “the straw that broke the camel,” following a visit by King Abdullah to the hospital, in which he reprimanded staff over the deaths of nine patients.
People familiar with the situation told the media that the prince’s visit was seen as undermining King Abdullah’s authority and led to Hamzah being placed under house arrest earlier this month. At the time, Hamzah reported that he could not communicate with other people or go out on meetings during his arrest.
“The welfare of (Jordanians) has been put in second place by a system of government that has decided that its personal interests, financial interests, corruption are more important than the lives and dignity and future of the ten million people who live here,” he said. he said. , according to Reuters.
Both Hamzah and King Abdullah have publicly reconciled in the wake of the incident, Reuters reported. However, experts say tensions have risen again as Jordan struggles with unemployment and rising coronavirus-related deaths.
“The family hunt is over, but we need to address the issues that have led to it … unemployment, COVID-19 management and poverty,” Jawad al Anani, who was the last head of the royal court under the late King Hussein, told Reuters. “These are the causes (of) … the frustration that drives people to follow their own idols.”