Jordan king says palace crisis 'is over' - GulfToday

Jordan king says palace crisis 'is over'

King-Abdullah-April05-750

King Abdullah II.

Jordan's King Abdullah broke his silence Wednesday to tell his nation that the worst political crisis in decades sparked by an alleged plot involving his half-brother Prince Hamzah was over.

"I assure you, that the sedition has been nipped in the bud," Abdullah said in address read out in his name on state television.

"The challenge of these last days was not the most dangerous for the stability of the country -- but it was the most painful for me."

King Abdullah II laughs with his half brother Prince Hamzah. File/ AP

King Abdullah II said that his half-brother Prince Hamzah was "under my protection" with his family.

"Hamzah is now with his family in his palace under my protection," Abdullah said in address read out in his name on state television.

"He has committed before the (Hashemite) family to follow the path of his parents and grandparents, to be faithful to their message, and to place the interest of Jordan, its constitution and its laws above all other considerations."

The monarch said the crisis that shook the stability of the kingdom was the "the most painful" because it came from both inside the royal family and outside it.

"Nothing comes close to what I felt — shock, pain and anger — as a brother and guardian of the Hashemite family and a leader of this dear people," King Abdullah said in a letter broadcast to the nation

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