Jordan issues gag order as new audio backs prince’s claims

JERUSALEM (AP) — Jordan has imposed a sweeping gag order on details of its palace feud. The move is a sign officials are increasingly nervous about how the rare public rift in the royal family is being perceived. The recording that surfaced Tuesday appears to capture an explosive meeting between King Abdullah II’s half brother, Prince Hamzah, and the military chief of staff that set off the current political crisis. In the wake of that meeting, officials accused Hamzah of being part of a foreign plot to destabilize the kingdom — but no such conspiracy is referenced on the recording. Before the audio surfaced, the palace and a mediator close to Hamzah said that the royal family was in the process of resolving the crisis. It’s unclear where those efforts stand.