US President Joe Biden confirmed that the US sees Jordan as the custodian of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and the need to maintain the status quo.
Israelis and Jordanians no longer hide their willingness to cooperate, but King Abdullah’s complex internal situation and mounting tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque may impede rapprochement.
“The President recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the White House says.
The nation of Israel’s history at and identification with the Temple Mount is longer and more ancient than others. It must exercise its sovereignty accordingly.
It doesn’t have custodianship over Muslim and Christian holy sites.
"It is a place of Muslim worship and only the Jordanian Wakf has full authority over the management of the compound," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.
"Jordan is a critical force for stability in the Middle East and strategic partner and ally of the United States,” the White House said.
In the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty, it was agreed in Article 9 to, “...provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance.”
The appointment of guards and employees at the Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif is within the mandate of Jordan and its Wakf Department.
In a speech to his cabinet on Sunday, however, Bennett rejected Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas’s demand to give Jordan more say over decisions on the Temple Mount.
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