The US and Israel are “actively working” to strip Jordan of its historic custodianship of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and are pursuing a new arrangement that would see the management of the revered Muslim site closely align with Israeli interests, multiple sources have told Middle East Eye.
US, Jordanian and Palestinian officials, as well as western and Gulf Arab sources, told MEE that under the plan, championed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf would abruptly end and a new body created by the Israeli government would declare the Al-Aqsa Mosque a “multi-faith centre”.
According to the officials, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, the “new arrangement” would grant Jews “equal access” to the Muslim site and formally allow large-group Jewish prayer.
Israel would also have a major say over the appointment of imams, preachers and senior mosque officials, and would also be involved in signing off on the content mentioned in Friday sermons.
Two US officials told MEE that Washington had drafted a paper on how they envisaged the mosque’s future. The officials said that the Trump administration would like to see the Al-Aqsa Mosque stripped of its Muslim identity, with the site turned into a landmark tourist attraction that hosts all three Abrahamic religions.
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A western official, and a source briefed by the Jordanian government, told MEE that according to a proposal they had seen, Arab countries could be granted “rotational” oversight of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
They said that Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had all been briefed on the proposal by the US.
According to two Gulf Arab sources and another source familiar with the Jordanian government’s thinking, Saudi Arabia, which shares a deep history and a robust alliance with Jordan, was against the proposal.
‘The Hashemite Custodianship is a cornerstone for stability in the region, undermining it is tantamount to undermining the very principles for peace
– Mustafa Abu Sway, Waqf council
The sources said that Israel had first floated the idea with the Trump administration nearly a decade ago, but shortly after Huckabee assumed his post as US ambassador last year he “repeatedly” called on Washington to follow through with the plan.
The US envoy, a devout Evangelical Christian and former talk show host, is a long-time pro-Israel advocate who has staunchly supported illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The source familiar with Amman’s thinking told MEE that “the Americans have been angry that the Jordanians cite their custodianship and raise complaints about Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa.”
Just this month, Jordan’s parliament condemned Israeli measures to seize Palestinian properties and Islamic endowments in an area adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
All of the sources MEE spoke said the new proposal left the fate of Jerusalem’s Christian holy sites unknown.
The Hashemite monarchy is also custodan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Ascension. Jordan also has an effective veto over the appointment of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.
“This plan says nothing about the Christian sites, which raises a whole new set of concerns,” one of the sources said.
A Jordanian government official stressed that Amman’s position on Jerusalem and its holy sites “remains firm,” and said the Hashemite custodianship is internationally recognised under treaties and agreements including Article 9 of the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty.
The official added that Jordan was coordinating with Palestinian, Arab and international partners to preserve the sites’ “Arab, Islamic and Christian identity” and prevent any alteration to the historical and legal status quo.
‘Cornerstone for stability’
The Al-Aqsa Mosque has been governed under a decades-long status quo, or international arrangement, preserving its religious status as an exclusively Islamic site.
Under arrangements reached after the 1967 war, Jordan and Israel agreed that the Islamic Waqf would administer internal affairs at the compound, while Israel would control external security.
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Non-Muslims are permitted to visit the site during designated hours, but are not allowed to pray there.
For Jews, the site is known as the Temple Mount, where many believe two ancient Jewish temples once stood – the temple built by King Solomon (Suleiman in Arabic), which was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the second temple, destroyed by the Romans.
Jordanian and Palestinian officials said the proposed arrangement appeared to be loosely modelled on Israel’s policies at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, where restrictions imposed after a 1994 massacre by an Israeli settler eventually led to a formal division of the site between Muslims and Jews.
Following the massacre, Israel allocated 63 percent for Jewish worship and 37 percent for Muslims, despite the site being revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike as the burial place of the Prophet Abraham and other patriarchs.
For Jordan, custodianship over the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the wider compound is central to the legitimacy of the Hashemite monarchy itself.
Jordan’s ruling family traces its custodianship over Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem to 1924, when Palestine was under British mandate rule.
Britain and France divided much of the Levant between them after defeating the Ottoman Empire during World War I, which led to the formal collapse of the Islamic Caliphate in 1924.
The Hashemites were granted custodianship in Jerusalem after losing control of Islam’s two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, to the Al-Saud family.
Jordan’s role as custodian was later recognised in its 1994 peace treaty with Israel, which acknowledged Amman’s “special role” in Jerusalem’s Islamic holy sites.
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But for years, Jordanian officials and Palestinian leaders have warned that the arrangement has been steadily eroded by successive Israeli governments and emboldened far-right groups seeking greater Jewish control over the compound.
Israeli police raids inside the mosque compound, increasing visits by ultranationalist Jewish activists and repeated calls by Israeli ministers for Jewish prayer rights at the site have fuelled accusations that Israel is incrementally changing the status quo.
Waqf officials have also repeatedly told MEE that other than imposing strict restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, Israel had made it difficult for the Waqf to carry out necessary maintenance works and repairs.
Mustafa Abu Sway, the deputy head of the Waqf council, refused to comment on Jordan’s waning influence in the Old City but said the Hashemite custodianship was “a cornerstone for stability in the region”.
He said Palestinians viewed the custodianship “strategically as a lifeline” and noted that Jordan had consistently defended the historical status quo at international forums including Unesco.
“The Hashemite Custodianship is a cornerstone for stability in the region, undermining it is tantamount to undermining the very principles for peace”.
For its part, the Jerusalem Governorate said it had not been informed of any such proposal, but said it “reject[s] it entirely.”
The Governorate said there had been a “dangerous escalation” in Israeli interference in the Waqf’s work, including restrictions on guards and staff and increasing settler incursions into the compound.
Jordan plans ‘work-around’
Two Gulf Arab sources told MEE that Jordan’s US-backed government was likely going to rely on regional backing to counter the US-Israeli proposal.
Despite Amman’s growing outreach to the UAE, they said it was inconceivable that Riyadh would remain silent or refuse to publicly oppose such a proposal.
“Saudi Arabia fully understands that if any moves are taken against the Hashemite custodianship then that would inflame the entire region,” one Gulf Arab source said.
‘They [UAE and Bahrain] should be cautious about publicly supporting changes to the status quo’
– Gulf Arab source
Another Gulf Arab source said Riyadh viewed the custodianship as “a pillar of regional stability,” adding: “The Saudis may have disagreements with Jordan on some issues, but on Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa they understand the consequences of dismantling the existing arrangement”.
According to the sources, Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah has developed a “good relationship” with his Saudi counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in recent years, with ties deepening since a group of Arab countries normalised ties with Israel.
But both of the sources said it was unclear how the kingdom would respond if the UAE or Bahrain publicy backed the proposal.
Since signing the Abraham Accords in 2020, both Abu Dhabi and Manama have steadily deepened political, economic and security ties with Israel, even as regional anger over Israel’s actions in Jerusalem and Gaza have intensified.
The UAE, in particular, has positioned itself as Israel’s closest Arab partner, expanding cooperation in trade, technology, energy and defence.
Emirati-linked religious and diplomatic initiatives have also promoted the idea of “multi-faith coexistence” in ways that Palestinian and Jordanian officials fear could be used to legitimise changes to the historical status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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In 2023, the UAE established its own multi-faith centre that includes a Catholic church, a Jewish synagogue and an Islamic mosque.
Bahrain has similarly maintained close ties with Israel and defended its engagement with Israel as necessary for countering Iran.
Bahraini officials have also generally avoided direct public criticism of Israeli policies in Jerusalem, a position that has fuelled concerns that they are increasingly willing to accommodate Israeli demands over holy sites.
“They [UAE and Bahrain] understand how explosive this issue is in the Arab and Muslim world,” one of the sources said.
“Given that they are closely aligned with Israel they should be cautious about publicly supporting changes to the status quo,” they added.
MEE reached out to the Bahraini, Egyptian, Moroccan, Saudi and UAE foreign ministries for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.
The Jordanian government, which has banned MEE since May 2025, acknowledged receiving our questions but refused to comment.
