King Abdullah’s half-brother Jordan, Prince Hamzah bin-Hussein, was arrested at home after visiting him with the families of COVID-19 patients.
According to Reuters, it was that visit that triggered a response from the Jordanian monarchy. A senior official described the event as “straw that broke the camel’s back” after King Abdullah’s visit to the hospital in which he blamed staff for the deaths of nine patients.
People familiar with the situation reported at the outset that the prince’s visit affected King Abdullah’s authority and caused Hamzah to be detained at home earlier this month. Hamzah at the time reported that he was unable to communicate with other people or go out to meetings during his detention.
“The welfare (of the Jordanians) has come second to a system of government that has decided that their personal interests, their financial interests and their corruption are more important than the lives and dignity and future of the ten million people who live here, ”he said. , according to Reuters.
Both Hamzah and King Abdullah publicly reconciled after the incident, Reuters reported. However, experts have said tensions have risen again as a result of Jordan’s struggle with the shutdown and increased coronavirus-related deaths.
“The family dispute is over, but we need to address the issues that caused it … unemployment, the management of COVID-19 and poverty,” Jawad al Anani told Reuters, who was the last head of the royal court under the government of the late King Hussein. . “These are the causes (of) … the frustration that drives people to follow their own idols.”