Jordanians were bribed to protest, says Crown Prince

Jordanians protest against the government's decision to lift fuel subsidies Amman - Osama al-Rantisi The former Jordanian Prince Hassan bin Talal has claimed that the rumours about the decline of the Jordanian monarchy “have been excessive for decades.” Prince Hassan said in a fundraising concert held in London on Sunday that the Jordanian regime will remain, "because the rule of the Hashemites maintains human dignity." He claimed that people were bribed to participate in the protests against the regime. Prince Hassan said that he personally met people who told him that they received 200 dinars ($ 380) to participate in the protest. While Hassan avoided a detailed discussion on the most pressing challenges facing Jordan, as well as the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the ongoing revolution in Syria, he outlined his view of a peaceful settlement that would include all the refugees and displaced people in the region, not just the Palestinians. He also said he hoped that Israel does not see the Arab Spring as a threat to its position as the only democracy in the Middle East, adding that Israel does not have a monopoly, or 'exclusive right to be a democracy”. The meeting was attended by the Israeli ambassador to Britain, Daniel Taub, who spoke after the Prince of Jordan, as well as to the British Secretary of State for Education and prominent Jewish figures. Protesters’ banner read “the people want to overthrow the regime” last week following the price hike. Brotherhood leaders have claimed that they are not responsible for this slogan. Zaki Bani Irsheid, vice chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood said that 'the movement is still committed to reforming the regime, but didn’t adopt this slogan.”