Jordan convenes Arab and Islamic ministers over al-Aqsa threat

Amman called an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to address what it describes as an imminent Israeli move to seize Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock compound.

Why it mattersJordan serves as custodian of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem under a 1994 treaty with Israel. Any Israeli action affecting the Haram al-Sharif compound would constitute a direct challenge to Jordanian authority and inflame religious tensions across the Muslim world.

Between the linesThe emergency meeting call came on 4 August, days after Trump announced the Gaza disarmament agreement. Far-right members of Netanyahu's coalition have long advocated for changing the status quo at the compound, which is administered by the Jordanian-appointed Waqf but sits in Israeli-controlled territory.

• Meeting call: Jordan issued the emergency convening request on 4 August 2026.
• Custodianship: Jordan has held custodianship of Jerusalem's Islamic holy sites since the 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
• Settler indictment: Israeli prosecutors indicted a Jewish settler on 6 August for killing a Palestinian community leader, the first such case in over seven years.