For Jordan’s allies, royal ructions are a rude awakening

Happier times: King Abdullah (left) laughing with Prince Hamzah earlier this year, shortly before the Jordanian monarch embarked on a tour of the United States. — AP

A pledge by Prince Hamzah to put himself “at the disposal” of King Abdullah II, his half-brother, appears to have resolved the feud within the Jordanian royal family that erupted at the end of last week. But the kingdom’s most serious crisis in decades was a salutary reminder of both the importance and the precariousness of Jordan’s stabilising role in the Middle East.

The events of the weekend remain murky and may never be fully disclosed. The kingdom has banned the publication of “anything related to the investigations, ” which suggests the palace is keen to draw a line under the affair.