Media: US, Israel “working to alter custodianship” of Al-Aqsa Mosque complex

The United States 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 align its management more closely with Israeli interests, according to multiple sources cited by Middle East Eye.

US, Jordanian and Palestinian officials, along with Western and Gulf Arab sources, said the proposal envisions significant changes to the governance of the site, which is one of the holiest in Islam.

According to the sources, under a plan reportedly championed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who holds no official role in the administration, and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf would be ended and replaced by a new body established by the Israeli government.

The sources said the new structure would declare the Al-Aqsa Mosque a “multi-faith centre”.

They also said the arrangement would grant Jews “equal access” to the site and formally permit large-group Jewish prayer.

According to the report, Israel would also have a significant role in appointing imams, preachers and senior officials at the mosque, as well as influencing the content of Friday sermons.

Two US officials told Middle East Eye that Washington had drafted a paper outlining its vision for the future of the site. They said the Trump administration would like to see the Al-Aqsa Mosque stripped of its Muslim identity and transformed into a shared religious and tourism site for the three Abrahamic faiths.

A Western official and a source briefed by the Jordanian government said a proposal they had seen suggested that Arab states could be given “rotational” oversight of the compound.

They added that Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been briefed on the US proposal.

According to two Gulf Arab sources and another source familiar with Jordan’s position, Saudi Arabia is opposed to the plan, despite its close ties with Jordan.

By Sabina Mammadli