Jordan Calls Emergency Arab-Islamic Meeting Over Al-Aqsa Tensions
Amman warns of an "imminent" Israeli takeover threat at Jerusalem's holy site, saying it could trigger a wider religious conflict.
Jordan has convened an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries to address what it described as an "imminent" threat of an Israeli takeover of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, warning that any change to the site's longstanding status could ignite a broader religious conflict.
The meeting comes amid rising tensions following a series of government-backed incursions by Jewish religious activists into the compound, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock – Islam's third-holiest site. The area is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount.
Jordan, the official custodian of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under a long-standing arrangement, said recent actions violate the historical status quo that permits only Muslims to pray within the compound while allowing non-Muslims to visit under specific conditions.
Tensions escalated sharply on July 23 when more than 2,000 Israeli religious nationalists, many of them settlers, entered the compound under heavy police protection. The group was led by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has repeatedly advocated expanding Jewish prayer rights at the site. Participants were seen praying and performing religious rituals throughout the compound, prompting strong condemnation from Jordan, which described the incident as the most serious violation of the status quo in modern history.
Jordan has urged the international community to intervene and prevent any unilateral changes to the administration of the holy site, warning that such actions could inflame religious tensions across the Middle East.
The latest dispute comes against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The war, which began after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has led to prolonged Israeli military operations in Gaza, a severe humanitarian crisis, and heightened tensions across the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The continued violence has raised fears of a wider regional escalation.
