[2] Jordan is a constitutional monarchy but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers; he may dismiss the parliament and prime minister at will,[2] personal freedoms are curtailed, and there are frequent crackdowns on political opposition.
[2][3] Jordan is regionally influential; it is a close ally of the United States; a significant intermediary between the Israelis and Palestinians, and holds formal custodianship of Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque.
[3] In the years leading up to the 2021 events, Hamzah, a former brigadier-general in the Jordanian Army, sought to regain his influence and depicted himself as a dynamic anti-corruption figure.
[6] At that time, authorities accused Basmah of being in contact with a "person with links to foreign security services" to leave Jordan when the arrests began.
[10] Awadallah's and the Hashemite Sharif's alleged dual nationalities, holding both Jordanian and Saudi citizenships, were seen as potential links to foreign involvements.
[11] The Guardian reported that Jordanian intelligence was alerted to the sedition plot when Bin Zaid "approached a US diplomat soliciting support for the former crown prince’s ascent to the throne".
[19] According to some sources, during the trial of Awadhallah and Bin Zaid, "prosecutors reportedly claimed [Hamzah] said Jerusalem was “not one of his priorities at this time” and would be more pliable than Abdullah regarding Palestinian-Israeli peace".
[21] Dr. Bessma Momani, Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo, wrote; "The notion that there are foreign elements to the Jordan/Prince Hamza saga is a distraction.
[22] On 5 April 2021, Hamzah, while in house arrest, released video and audio recordings saying that he would not comply with the military's orders not to use Twitter or otherwise communicate with the outside world.
[25][26] On 7 April 2021, King Abdullah II spoke publicly for the first time since the alleged coup and hinted that the Jordanian royal feud was over, stating that the "sedition" that caused him "pain and anger" had been quashed and that Hamzah was now "in his palace under my protection.
"[1][27] Abdullah also stated that the crisis began with Jordan's military chief of staff visiting Hamzah and then warned him to stop attending meetings with critics of the government.
[28] In April 2022, Hamzah relinquished his royal title of prince, stating his "personal convictions" were not in line with "the approaches, trends and modern methods of our institutions".
[30] In May 2022, the King formally announced that Hamzah had been put under house arrest and his communications and movements were limited due to his "erratic behavior and aspirations".