Jordan has called for an emergency gathering of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic nations to address what officials characterize as an imminent threat to Muslim access and control of sacred sites in Jerusalem’s Old City. The convening follows a July incident in which more than 2,000 Israelis, including government officials and religious activists, entered the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, performing prayers and rituals throughout the area. Jordanian officials described this event as the most severe violation of an existing agreement in recent history.
The underlying dispute centers on a decades-old status quo arrangement that grants custodial authority to Jordan’s monarchy. Under this framework, only Muslim worshippers are permitted to pray at the contested compound, while Jewish prayer is directed to the Western Wall in the same vicinity. This arrangement has been in place since the aftermath of the 1967 conflict and was reaffirmed in the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty. Jordan’s foreign minister warned that continued violations could trigger broader religious tensions extending throughout the Muslim world and destabilize the region.
Beyond the immediate situation at the religious sites, Jordan expresses concern about broader Israeli policies affecting Palestinian territories and the kingdom itself. These concerns include potential mass displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank and reduced water allocations from Israel. The water agreement reduction, from 100 million cubic meters annually to 50 million, has been characterized by officials as retaliation for Jordanian criticism during the Gaza conflict. These developments have generated significant domestic political pressure within Jordan, where Palestinian refugees and their descendants comprise over half the population.
The timing of these tensions coincides with Israeli electoral preparations, with significant Jewish holidays scheduled for September. Jordanian leadership characterizes this convergence of factors as creating heightened risk for escalation. The emergency meeting will bring together representatives from Arab League members alongside officials from Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan to coordinate diplomatic responses to the situation.
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