Jerusalem’s New Islamic Waqf Council
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Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty
Jerusalem Receives a New Islamic Waqf Council amid Increasing Israeli Violations of al-Aqsa Mosque
The Palestinians of Jerusalem have welcomed the newly formed Islamic Waqf Council, the highest official Islamic religious institution in the city. Announced on December 7, 2025, by the Jordanian government, this new council includes three new members and two who have served in previous terms.
The new members are:
- Munir Nusseibeh, head of the Community Action Center at Al-Quds University
- Adnan Joulani, the executive director of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) think tank, in place of the late Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi who founded and directed PASSIA (see Perspective: Jerusalem Thanks and Bids Farewell to Mahdi Abdul Hadi)
- Khaled Hamdan, a member of the Waqf Department staff
Returning to the Waqf Council are engineer Fuad Dakkak and former cabinet minister Mazen Sinokrot.
New Jerusalem Waqf Council member Munir Nusseibeh
Credit:
Courtesy of Munir Nusseibeh
New Waqf Council member and CEO of PASSIA, Adnan Joulani
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PASSIA
The restructuring of the council was necessitated by the passing of its former chairman, Sheikh Abdul Azim Salhab (see Renowned Head of Jerusalem Waqf Council Passes Away), as well as Abdul Hadi. Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, who is also director general of the Waqf Department in Jerusalem, has been appointed as the new chair, having previously served as vice chair. The Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf selected Dr. Mustafa Abu Sway, a current member of the Waqf Council, to take on the role of vice chair.
New chair of the Waqf Council, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, stands in al-Aqsa Mosque compound, March 15, 2024.
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Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty
The Bumpy Road Ahead
Jerusalemites hope that the new council will continue to closely monitor the affairs of the Waqf Department. One council member, who requested anonymity, emphasized the importance of the council’s ongoing engagement with the Jerusalem community:
It is no secret that since its restructuring in 2019, the council has included representatives from across the Jerusalemite community. It has succeeded in becoming the closest point of contact for residents regarding waqf-related issues. The council has diligently monitored the work and projects of the Waqf Department, significantly improving its performance in the service of al-Aqsa Mosque, which is experiencing one of the most dangerous periods in its history since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.1
Sheikh al-Khatib highlighted this precarious situation in a recent address to Jordanian King Abdullah II, custodian of Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem:
Jerusalem is witnessing a dangerous escalation in the implementation of plans that legitimize the occupation and alter the existing religious, historical, and legal Status Quo at al-Aqsa Mosque. These plans target our waqf and educational institutions. We are facing an attack that is crippling the waqf and destroying education, including threats from the municipality to impose exorbitant taxes on our properties and schools.2
It is essential to note that the 19th-century Status Quo agreement exempts waqf authorities from taxation, as these properties are Islamic and Christian educational endowments that provide essential services to the Jerusalem community (see What Is the Status Quo?).
Jerusalemites agree that one of the greatest challenges facing the Waqf Council, and indeed the city as a whole, is the Israeli policy toward al-Aqsa Mosque. The compound has become increasingly vulnerable to incursions by extremist Jewish groups who receive full support from the Israeli security and political establishment (see Jerusalem’s Shared Status Quo Is Being Shattered by Jewish Nationalist Conquest). This situation has rendered the Status Quo arrangements less effective.
Extremist Jews perform a Talmudic rite as far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (not seen) leads a group of at least 1,251 illegal settlers in a mass incursion into al-Aqsa Mosque, August 3, 2025.
Credit:
Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Members of the Waqf Council acknowledge their limited ability to confront this threat to al-Aqsa Mosque and rely heavily on support from Jordan through the Hashemite Custodianship of Jerusalem’s holy sites. Members of the Waqf Council and the Jerusalem community, including Muslims and Christians, unanimously agree on the importance of this custodianship in defending Islamic and Christian religious sites in the city.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is accompanied by Israeli security forces during a raid on al-Aqsa Mosque, July 18, 2024.
Credit:
Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department/Anadolu via Getty Images
Board member and former Palestinian government minister Mazen Sinokrot shared with Jerusalem Story that the escalating challenges facing the Islamic sites in Jerusalem require a different response:
Simply monitoring and documenting these practices, whether in terms of the number of intruders or the nature of the imposed rituals, is no longer sufficient. In light of this dangerous escalation, what is required today is a stronger, clearer, and more decisive discourse that reflects genuine political and institutional will to expose these violations and warn against their consequences before they worsen.3
Sinokrot emphasized the necessity for the Waqf Council to launch practical programs and initiatives that strengthen community unity and encourage visitors to maintain a permanent presence at al-Aqsa Mosque. He added:
This is of paramount importance to preserve the properties of the endowments, including buildings and real estate, whether they are inalienable charitable endowments (waqf khayri) or family endowments (waqf dhurri). We must also support and strengthen the role of schools affiliated with the endowments, and build the capacities of Waqf Council institutions to confront arbitrary policies and preserve the identity of al-Aqsa Mosque.
New board member Munir Nusseibeh expressed his commitment to contributing his expertise in international law to the council’s efforts: “I believe I can contribute my knowledge regarding the provisions of international law, particularly those relevant to occupied Palestine, concerning the protection of the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites, as well as the waqf in Jerusalem.”4
Ziad al-Hammouri, director of the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights, also spoke with Jerusalem Story, expressing hope that the Waqf Council would serve as a reference point for Jerusalemites: “They have a significant challenge ahead in helping the community overcome the obstacles posed by the occupation, in addition to managing Islamic endowments and holy sites, which they maintain well.”5
Notes
1
Anonymous, interview by Khalil Assali, January 3, 2026.
2
Speech delivered in Arabic by Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan, on December 27, 2025. The transcript was shared with Jerusalem Story courtesy of Sheikh al-Khatib. Translation by Jerusalem Story Team.
3
Mazen Sinokrot, interview by Daoud Kuttab, January 4, 2026. All subsequent quotes from Sinokrot are from this interview.
4
Munir Nusseibeh, interview by Daoud Kuttab, January 4, 2026.
5
Ziad al-Hammouri, interview by Khalil Assali, January 4, 2026.