Behind the Headlines Tension Reported in Jordan

A surge of political tension, punctuated by violence and suspected assassinations and attempted assassinations, was reported today from Jordan. The tension is believed to stem from a deep division of opinion between King Hussein and his heir apparent and brother. Crown Prince Hassan, regarding Jordan’s steady drift towards the rejectionist group of Arab states led by Iraq and Syria.

While Hussein has been pushing in this direction ever since Camp David. Hossan is growing more and more unhappy with it–and he is supported by significant sections of the officer, corps and of the Jordanian indigenous (as opposed to Palestinian) elite. Clashes on Amman University’s campus recently between Palestinian and other students are explained as a reflection of the tension in the governing echelons.

Haaretz led off its front page today with a report compiled by Arab affairs monitor Oded Zarai of the various stories and rumors of growing unrest in the Hashemite kingdom.

U.S. PLANNING EVACUATION

The Haaretz headline said the U.S. was planning for the evacuation of American citizens and companies from Jordan. The story itself reported that the U.S. Embassy in Amman had been angrily questioned about this by the Jordanian government and had responded that the contingency plans were merely routine and were not connected to any particular political situation.

The Haaretz report cited Jordanians visiting the West Bank, and West Bankers known for their close ties with the royal house, to authenticate the signs of tension in the neighboring state. A group of prominent West Bankers protested to Amman last week at the method by which police had broken up the campus demonstrations — apparently because injuries were sustained by Palestinian students.

Jordanian travelers reported that prices on the Amman stock exchange were falling and that key families involved in commerce were moving funds out of the country.

Meanwhile, the not-entirely-reliable Phalangist radio station in Lebanon reported last night that a Palestinian aeronautical engineer had been arrested in Jordan on suspicion of trying to plant a bomb aboard the King’s plane as it was about to fly Hussein to Vienna. As a result, security had been tightened on all Alia Airline flights the radio said.

REPORTS OF MYSTERIOUS ACCIDENTS

The Haaretz report also discussed two mysterious recent accidents in Amman in which high-level-political allies of Hassan had met an untimely death. In one, Sherif Nasser Ben-Jamil, an uncle of the King, and passionate foe of the PLO, lost control of his car and crashed to his death. There are rumors rife in court circles,” according to the report, “that the car was tampered with.”

In the other incident, the chief of internal security, another close supporter of Hassan, was killed at Amman Airport on his return from Qatar. A brief official statement said only that his car had collided with another vehicle.

There has also been a spate of explosions in Amman in recent weeks, which government authorities there have attributed to “Zionist agents.” Meanwhile, Hussein himself was due in Rabat today for talks with King Hassan on the Israel-Egypt treaty and Arab world reactions.