Al-Aqsa: The Moment of Peril — US and Israel Move to Strip Jordan of Custodianship

The Coordinated Effort to Alter Al-Aqsa's Status

An exclusive investigation by Middle East Eye last week revealed that both the US and Israel were coordinating to remove Jordan's custodianship over Islam's third holiest site. This development strikes at the heart of Palestinian and Muslim identity in occupied East Jerusalem, where families have long turned to Al-Aqsa for prayer, solace, and community. The plan would abolish the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf and replace it with a body created by the Israeli government.

Details of the Proposed Changes

Under the outlined approach, the new entity would declare Al-Aqsa a multi-faith centre and grant Jews equal access. Israeli authorities would appoint imams and officials while holding sign-off power over the content of Friday sermons. The Trump administration has expressed a desire to strip Al-Aqsa of its Islamic identity and repackage it as a tourist attraction hosting all three Abrahamic religions, a move that many Palestinians view as an erasure of their lived connection to the site.

Rising Restrictions on Worshippers

A 2025 report by the Israeli monitoring group Ir Amim documented an unprecedented rise in raids on the Al-Aqsa compound. Researcher Aviv Tatarsky stated plainly that under the guise of religious Jewish connection, Israel is steadily taking control of the holy site. In this year alone, over 600 Palestinians have been banned from Al-Aqsa. Thirty Waqf employees had their entry permits revoked, and six imams have been silenced and barred from delivering sermons.

Voices from the Ground

Senior imam Ekrima Sabri has observed that these are unprecedented actions designed to impose domination. Last month, Israeli ministers and parliamentarians orchestrated mass incursions into Al-Aqsa, with one lawmaker openly calling for the mosque to be demolished and replaced with a Jewish temple. Israeli flags were hoisted within the compound, deepening the sense of violation felt by local communities.

Impact on Daily Life and Sacred Access

Al-Aqsa once welcomed hundreds of thousands for Friday prayers. Now, due to Israeli restrictions and harassment of Muslims, it sees only a few thousand and sometimes hundreds for daily worship. Israel already exercises total control over who enters and exits. In one recent episode, the site was sealed for 40 days during Israel's war on Iran, an act that left worshippers across the region without access to their first qibla.

Broader Patterns of Displacement

Israeli authorities have advanced the confiscation of Palestinian property near Chain Gate street, a vital entryway in Jerusalem's Old City. These steps form part of a wider effort that disrupts the routines of Palestinian families who have maintained ties to the area for generations. The human cost falls heaviest on those simply seeking to pray without fear or interference.