Jordan labels palace feud a family affair

Jordan sought to throw a veil on Tuesday over its public palace feud by ordering its media to stop reporting on an alleged plot the government says involves the half-brother of King Abdullah II.

Prince Hamzah had on Saturday harshly criticised Jordan’s leaders from what he said was house arrest -- but in a dramatic about-turn on Monday pledged his loyalty to the royal family. The palace released a signed statement in which the 41-year-old prince had changed his tone and pledged to "always be ready to help and support His Majesty the King and his Crown Prince".

The monarchy ruling Jordan -- a country long regarded as a pro-Western anchor of stability in a turbulent region -- declared it was settling the matter "within the framework of the Hashemite family".

Amman’s prosecutor general Tuesday banned the publication of any information about the investigation into what the government has called a "wicked" plot against Jordan involving unnamed foreign entities. The government has accused Hamzah -- a former crown prince who was sidelined as heir to the throne in 2004 -- of involvement in a conspiracy to "destabilise the kingdom’s security" and also arrested at least 16 people.

"In order to keep the security services’ investigation into Prince Hamzah and the others secret, (it is decided) to ban the publication of anything related to this inquiry at this stage," prosecutor Hassan al-Abdallat said in a statement.