Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was involved in attempts to undermine the stability of King Abdullah’s regime in Jordan, according The Washington Post.
The affair, according to the report, came to a head in April, when Prince Hamzah, the king’s half-brother and former regent, was placed under house arrest for being “a threat to the stability of the country,” according to officials.
Prince Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the Jordanian royal family, was also arrested, along with former Jordanian envoy to Saudi Arabia Bassem Awadallah.
Research based on Jordanian investigative reports and talks with American, Israeli, British, Jordanian and Saudi officials showed that there were links between the dramatic events in Jordan and the battle between Israel and Saudi Arabia. There were also connections to former US president Donald Trump and his adviser Jared Kushner’s peace proposal.
According to the report, the reason for the attempts to undermine the stability of King Abdullah’s regime stemmed from his unwillingness to relinquish Jordanian responsibility for the holy sites in Jerusalem as part of Trump’s peace deal. Officials feared the king’s refusal to concede on the issue would harden Palestinian positions.
Trump and Kushner reportedly did not hide their displeasure with the Jordanian king’s conduct, and until the last day of the administration Kushner tried to promote a breakthrough that would put the Saudis on the path of normalization. “Trump believed the king was an obstacle to the peace process,” a former CIA official was quoted in the report.
Trump, Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “did not act to overthrow the king but their actions certainly weakened him and encouraged his enemies,” the report stated. The king himself, however, felt that there were concerted efforts to remove him from the throne.Senior Israeli officials also felt uncomfortable with what was happening. Defense Minister Benny Gantz reportedly held a secret meeting with King Abdullah at the beginning of 2021 due to his fear of the deteriorating relations between the king and Netanyahu. Additionally, a former US intelligence source said that after the arrests in Jordan, various Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) representatives rushed to send private messages to the royal palace in Amman in which they denied any connection to the alleged conspiracy. “It’s not us, it is over our heads,” Israeli intelligence officers said, referring to the decisions being made by Netanyahu.
The Jordanian investigation into the arrested parties began more than two years ago, according to the report. Prince Hassan bin Zaid had met with senior officials at a foreign embassy to find out if they would support Prince Hamzah as an alternative ruler in place of King Abdullah.
Senior officials also said they had been approached by people close to Prince Hamzah, who attempted to enlist their support for a potential coup.
Increased communication was also identified between Prince Hamzah, Prince Hassan and Awadallah toward the end of 2020. “Awadallah worked to advance the ‘deal of the century’ and weaken Jordan’s status and the King’s status in relation to Palestine and Hashemite sponsorship of the holy sites in Jerusalem,” the report said.
Indictments were filed this month against both Prince Hassan and Awadallah, but no details have been released.
Maariv contributed to this report.