(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
US denies report it is working with Israel to end Jordan’s role as custodian of the Temple Mount and to turn the holy site into a “multi-faith center.”
By World Israel News Staff
The Trump administration and Israel are working on a plan to replace Jordan’s custodianship over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem with a new arrangement that would expand Jewish prayer rights at the site, according to a report published on Monday.
The Middle East Eye, citing unnamed US, Jordanian, Palestinian, Western and Gulf Arab sources, reported that the proposal would end the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf and create a new body tied to Israel to administer the compound.
After publication, the outlet said a US official called the allegation that Washington was actively working to strip Jordan of its custodianship “totally false.”
The report said the plan was being promoted by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
According to the report, the proposed arrangement would recast the compound as a “multi-faith center,” allow large-group Jewish prayer and give Israel a role in appointing Muslim religious officials and approving Friday sermon content.
No such proposal has been publicly announced by the White House, Israel or Jordan.
A Jordanian government official told Middle East Eye that Amman’s position on Jerusalem and its holy sites “remains firm,” and said Jordan was coordinating with Palestinian, Arab and international partners to prevent changes to the historical and legal status quo.
The official said Jordan’s custodianship is recognized under treaties and agreements, including the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty.
Article 9 of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty says Israel respects Jordan’s “special role” in Muslim holy shrines in Jerusalem and will give high priority to Jordan’s historic role in permanent-status negotiations.
Under the longstanding status quo, the Jordanian Waqf administers the Temple Mount’s internal religious affairs, while Israel controls access and external security.
After National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the compound in August 2025 and said he had prayed there, Netanyahu’s office said Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo “has not changed and will not change.”
The issue has remained a recurring source of friction between Israel and Jordan. Jordan’s King Abdullah warned in a 2024 call with then-President Joe Biden against “unilateral Israeli measures” that he said threatened the historical and legal status quo of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, according to the Jordanian royal court.
Middle East Eye reported that Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates had been briefed on the alleged US proposal, while Saudi Arabia opposed it.
The outlet said the fate of Jerusalem’s Christian holy sites was unclear under the reported plan. Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy also claims custodial responsibilities over major Christian sites in Jerusalem, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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