An Israeli businessman with ties to the U.S. government was in touch with former Jordanian Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein when he was put on house arrest on Saturday, and proposed to send a private jet to take his wife and kids to Europe.
The intrigue: The Jordanian government claims the Israeli has connections to the Mossad spy agency, while the businessman stresses he's only a friend of the prince.
Why it matters: The Jordanian government is pushing the narrative that Prince Hamzah and his associates conspired against King Abdullah with people outside of Jordan.
- Broaching connections to Israel and the Mossad are effective lines for the Jordanian government's campaign against Prince Hamzah. Public opinion of Israel is generally negative among Jordanians.
State of play: Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said at a press conference Sunday that a person with connections to a foreign security service had approached Prince Hamzah's wife and offered to arrange a private jet to escort her and her family to a foreign country.
- Several hours later Jordanian news agency “Ammon”, which is close to the Jordanian security services published a story claiming an ex-Mossad officer and Israeli named Roy Shaposhnik was behind the offer.
- Shaposhnik contacted me and gave a statement which denied Jordanian government claims that he was involved in the alleged coup. He told me he was never a Mossad officer but confirmed he proposed assistance to Prince Hamza and his family as part of their friendship.
What he's saying: "I am an Israeli living in Europe. I never served in any role in the Israeli intelligence services," Shaposhnik told me. "I don’t...