Stripping Jordan of Al-Aqsa custodianship would trigger ‘outbreak of violence’, expert says
Israeli soldiers aim their guns at Muslim worshippers near the Dome of the Rock in the complex in Jerusalem’s Old City that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, on 15 April 2022
Sean Mathews reports in Middle East Eye on 9 June 2026:
A US-Israeli plan to strip the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan of its historic custodianship of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque complex would lead to an “outbreak of violence” in the Middle East, Israeli-American attorney Daniel Seidemann told Middle East Eye.
“What starts in Jerusalem doesn’t stay in Jerusalem,” said Seidemann, who is also the founder of Terrestrial Jerusalem, a non-governmental organisation that tracks the development of Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. “This would send shockwaves throughout the Arab and Muslim world,” he added.
Seidemann, who is widely recognised as an expert on Jerusalem and its holy sites, confirmed on Tuesday an exclusive report by MEE that revealed a US-Israeli plan to strip Jordan of its custodianship and declare Al-Aqsa a “multi-faith centre”.
“When handled appropriately, Al-Aqsa is quite stable. But when its complexities are ignored, it becomes one of the most dangerous places on the planet,” he said. “Jordanian custodianship is absolutely essential to maintaining the stability of Al-Aqsa,” he added.
US, Jordanian and Palestinian officials, as well as western and Gulf Arab sources, told MEE in May that under the plan, championed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, 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”. Kushner has no official role in the Trump administration.
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.
‘Totally false’
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 complex.
“We have heard from a reliable source that there is indeed a US proposal to replace/annul Jordanian custodianship over Al Aqsa,” Seidemann wrote on X. “We have been told that a document has been circulated proposing to replace Jordanian custodianship with that of a consortium of international/interfaith parties, including Muslim/Arab and Jewish representatives,” he added.