Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Sunday that Israel has no interest in becoming involved in an apparent foiled plot to overthrow Jordan's King Abdullah, calling it "an internal Jordanian matter."
Gantz' comments came in the wake of a major Jordanian security sweep Saturday in which some 20 people were arrested and the king's half-brother Prince Hamzah telling the BBC he had been placed under house arrest. His claim was denied by the Jordanian military.
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Defense Minister Benny Gantz, left, and Jordan's King Abdullah II
(Photos: AFP, Avi Moalem)
"Jordan is a neighbor and strategic ally with whom we have peaceful relations," Gantz told reporters.
"We need to do everything necessary to maintain that alliance, which is ongoing for over 30 years. A strong, thriving Jordan is an Israeli security and economic interest and we need to do everything we can to assist them," he said.
The Jordanian press warned Sunday against attempts to harm the “security and stability” of the kingdom.
A top former royal aide was among several suspects arrested Saturday as former crown prince Hamzah bin Hussein said in a video sent to the BBC that he had been confined to his home and his communications cut.
Prince Hamzah speaks in a video sent to the BBC
(Video: BBC)
In a front page editorial on Sunday, official newspaper Al-Rai warned that “yesterday’s security operation is an expression of a red line that must not be crossed or even approached, and which is linked to the supreme interests of the kingdom, its security and stability."
“Some people are trying to create the illusion of an attempted coup in Jordan, and trying to implicate Prince Hamzah in their sick fantasies,” it continued.
“All that happened was that some of the prince’s actions were used to target Jordan’s security and stability.”
Pro-government newspaper Addustour did not publish an editorial about Saturday’s events, but carried official statements and reported that “moves to target Jordan’s security” had been “thwarted.”
Independent daily Al-Ghad wrote about the global “solidarity with Jordan’s moves to protect its security."
In a video the BBC said it obtained from his lawyer, Prince Hamzah said a number of his friends had been arrested, his security detail removed and his internet and phone lines cut.
He denied being part of “any conspiracy or nefarious organization”, but said the Hashemite kingdom had “become stymied in corruption, in nepotism, and in misrule” where no one was allowed to criticize the authorities.
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Jordan's King Abdullah II meeting with Major General Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Aug. 2019
(Photo: AFP)
Official news agency Petra named former close aides to the royal family Bassem Awadallah, chief of the royal court in 2007-2008, and Sherif Hassan bin Zaid among an unspecified number of suspects arrested.
The army denied Saturday that Prince Hamzah, who holds no official position, had been detained.
But the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Major General Yousef Huneiti, said the prince had been “asked to stop some activities that could be used to shake the stability and security of Jordan."
Hamzah is the eldest son of late King Hussein and his American wife Queen Noor.
He has good relations officially with Abdullah, his half-brother, and is a popular figure close to tribal leaders.
Noor on Sunday defended her son on Twitter, calling the claims against him "wicked slander."
"Praying that truth and justice will prevail for all the innocent victims of this wicked slander," she wrote on Twitter.
"God bless and keep them safe."