King Hussein Taps Eldest Son as Heir

Ending days of speculation, King Hussein of Jordan early today formally named his eldest son, Prince Abdallah, heir to the Hashemite throne and issued a rare public rebuke to the brother he removed from the line of succession.

The appointment of a new successor strips Hussein’s brother, Hassan, of the title of crown prince he has held for more than three decades. In a letter that gave the first clear explanation for the abrupt shift in the royal succession, Hussein criticized his brother’s handling of numerous government affairs during the king’s absence for cancer treatment in the U.S.

“I had to intervene from my sickbed to prevent you [from] interfering in army matters,” the king said in the letter, which was addressed to Hassan.

The monarch accused Hassan of forcing good officers to retire and of planning questionable ambassadorial appointments. Other Jordanian sources said Hussein also was angry at Hassan for using domestic media to promote himself and for naming close associates to important government offices.

“My family--my wife and my children--have been hurt by backbiting and slander,” the 63-year-old king said in the letter. It was not clear what this referred to, but the letter contained considerable praise for Hussein’s fourth and current wife, the American-born Queen Noor, and their eldest son, Hamzah.

There had been widespread speculation in the Jordanian capital that Noor was attempting to use her influence with Hussein to position her children in a more direct line to the throne. Although Hamzah, at age 18, was seen as too young to assume the mantle of power, he may be in line after Abdallah.

A respected army commander who will turn 37 on Saturday, Abdallah is Hussein’s son by his second wife, the British-born Princess Mona.

Hussein, who has ruled for nearly 47 years, returned to Jordan last week after six months of cancer treatment and almost immediately made clear that he planned to name a new heir. The news shocked Jordanians, who were accustomed to the idea of Crown Prince Hassan, and raised fears of instability in a country seen as an important Middle Eastern buffer with a key role in keeping the peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Abdallah, though a commander of Jordan’s elite special forces, is a political novice. His backers, however, say he has spent recent years carefully, and quietly, cultivating contacts throughout the Arab world, especially among armies of Persian Gulf states.

A royal decree announcing the decision was prepared Sunday and anticipated Monday. But palace officials, possibly fearing a backlash from Hassan’s supporters, delayed release until early today.

Wilkinson, The Times’ Jerusalem Bureau chief, was recently on assignment in Amman, Jordan.

--- UNPUBLISHED NOTE ---

In this and some other stories, King Abdullah II of Jordan is referred to as Crown Prince Abdallah of Jordan.

--- END NOTE ---