Jordan announced plans to hold an emergency session of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic nations to address concerns regarding the status of al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Jordanian officials characterized the situation as an “imminent” threat that could “trigger a religious conflict” with broader ramifications throughout the Muslim world.
The convening of the meeting follows what Jordan describes as escalating violations of a longstanding arrangement overseen by the Jordanian monarchy, under which the compound is designated for Muslim prayer only. Earlier in the month, more than 2,000 individuals from Israeli religious movements, including many settlers and led by the national security minister, entered the area known to Jews as the Temple Mount to pray and perform religious rituals. Jordanian authorities characterized this event as the most significant breach of the agreement in contemporary history. Jordan has also expressed concern about recruitment efforts targeting religious Jews for a specialized police unit assigned to the Temple Mount and anticipates additional tensions during major Jewish holidays scheduled for September.
The Temple Mount holds sacred significance for Judaism as the location of two ancient temples; the Western Wall, which survived Roman destruction in 70 CE, remains reserved for Jewish prayer under the existing arrangement. The agreement governing the site was established over a century ago and reaffirmed following the 1967 conflict and the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty.
Jordan’s foreign minister stated that the government would employ all available measures to counter what he described as a “constant” and “dangerous” threat. The emergency meeting would bring together counterparts from Arab League member states as well as representatives from Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan. Beyond the immediate concerns regarding the Jerusalem compound, Jordan expressed anxiety about broader Palestinian displacement from the West Bank, which officials characterized as a “red line” that the country would not permit. Additional tensions stem from Israel’s reduction of water supplies to Jordan and concerns about potential annexation of West Bank territory during an election period in the coming months.
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