JaFaJ intelligence sources in Amman Jordan have confirmed that the king’s uncle, Prince Hassan Bin Tallal, is desperately trying to expand his political influence and power in the Hashemite Kingdom.
Hassan, a former Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom, and was already assuming his role of succession until King Hussein mysteriously removed him from his position and appointed his son, Abdullah as Crown Prince. Abdullah became King shortly after as Hussein died.
For the past 21 years of King Abdullah’s reign, Hassan has been very cooperative and appreciative of his nephew, with no signs of objections what-so-ever. Nonetheless, sources inside the royal palace have confirmed to JaFaJ that Hassan has been “trying to gain more power lately, and for very good reasons”.
JaFaJ sources have confirmed that King Abdullah has been “missing in action since early this month and that Hassan is trying to fill the vacuum”. The source added that a ‘variety of rumours have been circulating about Abdullah’s health and the causes of his disappearance.”
To counteract the rumours, the king’s office, through the Royal Hashemite Court, has been circulating pre-recorded videos of the king in an effort to prove he was still in Jordan, is still alive and still in complete control of the country.
Because of the quality of the videos, as well as discussions with insiders and research, it is clear that the videos do not sit well with the growingly suspicious Jordanian public. In fact, they have fuelled further rumours and anticipation about the Abdullah’s reasons for absence.
With no clear answers about Abdullah’s absence, some facts stand out. Those are: Abduallah is nowhere to be seen and has not been conducting his royal duties since November 3rd and has postponed the opening ceremony of the newly elected Jordanian parliament until the 29th of November at the earliest. [COMMENT: The 70 year old Jordanian Constitution states that the king must ceremonially open the parliament, swear in its members and address the body END COMMENT]
In addition, the King’s office manager, Yousef Al-Eisawi has been running the country due to Abdullah’s absence, micromanaging everything like never before.
While the king’s whereabouts and conditions remain a mystery, Uncle Hassan has been frantically trying to fill the vacuum left by Abdullah’s absence, while drumming up political support.
Sources have told JaFaJ that “Hassan has been calling Arab rulers begging for support.” The sales pitch he has been using, revolves around this concept: “The Hashemite kingdom is in danger and they HAVE to support him in order to prevent the fall of an Arab kingdom”. The sources confirm Hassan’s demand: “Arab support for him to succeed his nephew, whom he believes is no longer able to rule the country for health reasons”.
Arabs sources have confirmed that Hassan’s calls have met with indifference from Arab rulers, and reports have confirmed that Hassan has escalated his frustrated tone, warning Arab rulers that, “If the Hashemites fall, they will be next.” Additional reports state that the frustrated Hassan had said to a member of another Arab Royal family the following threat: “Hashemites have survived many critical times, and we will survive this one, and we won’t forgive those who have failed to support us at these difficult times”.
With failures mounting and Hassan unable to find help from his neighbours and other Arab nations, he has taken a page out of the Abdullah’s playbook and started calling for support and help internationally. He started reaching out to members of the Democratic Party in the US. This includes high-ranking officials in the Joe Biden campaign and senior Members of the British House of Lords.
It is reported that Hassan told them that “His Majesty King Abdullah can no longer handle the job because of his ailing health, and you [the West] must support a viable alternative”. He then added that Abdullah’s son – Crown Prince Hussein, “doesn’t want the job and has left the country.” He added that “Prince Hussein will be settling in the UK, and has no plans on succeeding his father”.
Additionally, Jordanian intelligence sources confirm: Although Hassan is not eager to become Jordan’s king himself, he is rather obsessed with “sustaining the Hashemite Kingdom and not handing it over to those who have always plotted against us”.
The source who made this statement insists that the Crown Prince was speaking of “a massive plot against the Hashemite ruling family, involving the Saudis, the UAE, and the Palestinians”.
With very little response or support from outside Jordan, Hassan turned his attention to trying to appease the Jordanian people, and did so by sending several conciliatory messages to figures of Jordan’s Palestinian majority (better known as Jordanians of Palestinian origins), and tribal leaders of the East Bankers minority.
COMMENT:
Hassan’s sudden movement is another indicator of how unsettled the Hashemite royal family is. Abdullah’s absence is not news, Abdullah barely spends any time in Jordan, and there has been one occasion where he spent five consecutive months without stepping foot in Jordan. Nonetheless, it seems there is more to his absence this time than before.
Hassan is not young, 73, and has been isolated from politics by Abdullah for over 20 years. Additionally, Hassan is hated by Jordan’s Palestinian majority who see him as responsible for the systematic oppression and disenfranchisement that have endured for decades. Jordan’s Bedouin minority is not in favor of Hassan either, or any other Hashemite for this matter. In addition, Hassan has a history of provoking regional rulers by making open claims to their countries as part of the Hashemite’s Arab Kingdom. It is unlikely that Hassan will be able to secure any internal or external support for his quest to “save the Hashemite kingdom”.
One thing is certain: Jordan’s kingdom is weaker than ever and its rulers more shaky than they have ever been.