Jordan’s Role Is Vital in Safeguarding Jerusalem’s Holy Sites

Throughout history, Jordan has been committed to protecting and preserving the holy sites of Jerusalem. Jordan is currently the official and internationally recognized custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian sites, and its role is key in safeguarding these sites, especially from repeated Israeli violations.

Years ago, before Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, also known as the Naksa, many people from Jordan used to visit the Old City of Jerusalem frequently to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque, wander the ancient streets, and gather with loved ones. Today, however, with Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, the situation differs.

Jordanian General Mansour Abu Rashid, who served in Jerusalem before the Naska, told Jerusalem Story: “My father, his brothers, and the entire family would go every week from Amman to Jerusalem to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, and then they would wander around the Old City to buy goods for their household needs before heading to Jericho for lunch and then returning to Amman.”1

“This was a weekly trip, not only for my family, but for most Jordanian families. Friday prayers weren’t performed except at al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Mansour and his family were always determined to buy thyme, halva, and tahini directly from Jerusalem. They also could not leave Jerusalem without buying the famous Jerusalemite ka‘ek (oval-shaped bread with sesame seed crust).

“The Jordanian army command was keen to provide two buses for each battalion in order to take the soldiers who wanted to pray in al-Aqsa on Fridays, and not only the military units serving in Jerusalem, but also those serving in the East Bank and even in Amman,” Mansour said. “You would not be surprised in those days if you found a thousand soldiers from the Jordanian army wandering around Jerusalem after Friday prayers to buy some necessities,” he added.

“Jerusalem was part of the military doctrine on which the soldiers were raised, and military schools taught the history of Jerusalem to officers; this is Jerusalem to me. It is a spiritual love that cannot be described, rooted in the spirit of Jordanians.”

Mansour’s experiences bring to mind the words of Jordan’s late king Hussein bin Talal in 1994:

Palestinian lawyer and journalist Ziad Abu Zayyad also shared his views with Jerusalem Story on the significant relationship between Jordan and Jerusalem. “Jerusalem was always present in the focus of attention of successive Jordanian governments before the occupation of June 1967, as the Hashemite family paid special attention to Jerusalem and treated it as if it were the second capital of Jordan,” Ziad said.3

Ziad revealed that King Hussein visited the city regularly. During the time before the occupation of 1967, he was building a palace for himself on a hill in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shu‘fat. The Jordanian government also appointed valuable and prominent figures, including former ministers, ambassadors, and supreme court judges, such as Anwar Nusseibeh, Daoud Abu Ghazaleh, and Anwar al-Khatib, to the position of Jerusalem governor as a sign of respect for the status of Jerusalem, Ziad said. “Jordan’s relationship with Jerusalem is a spiritual, historical, and national relationship at the highest level,” he added.

A member of the Jerusalem Waqf Council, who asked not to be named, told Jerusalem Story that during meetings between Waqf Council members and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Jordan’s capital city of Amman, al-Aqsa was the main focus. “I sensed a great love for Jerusalem and its people among the Hashemites and King Abdullah II, and an indescribable passion for al-Aqsa Mosque and a keenness to protect it, no matter what international pressure is exerted on the king and Jordan to abandon this role, which also includes Christian holy places,” he said.4

For Jordan and its royal family, the importance of the city of Jerusalem is not restricted to al-Aqsa. The city is also immensely important for Christians as it includes the sacred sites of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Gethsemane, and the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem is also home to different sects of Christianity: the Latin, Orthodox, and Armenian Patriarchates. The Anglican and Lutheran churches also have their headquarters in Jerusalem and their leaders are regular guests of King Abdullah II in Amman.

However, Jerusalem’s historical and religious integrity is at risk due to Israel’s ongoing efforts to alter the city’s identity, according to Dimitri Diliani, president of the National Christian Coalition. Dimitri emphasized to Jerusalem Story the critical role of King Abdullah II’s custodianship of Jerusalem’s holy places, which he believes is essential in maintaining the sanctity of the city amid rising tensions and Israeli violations of international law in the occupied city.5

For decades, the world recognized Jordan’s custodial responsibility for Jerusalem’s holy sites, which was reaffirmed through the 1994 Jordanian peace treaty with the State of Israel.6 Dimitri noted that King Abdullah II’s role goes far beyond ceremonial duties: “King Abdullah II’s custodianship is a vital safeguard for the integrity and sanctity of occupied Jerusalem. His leadership ensures the protection of these holy sites, preventing them from being reduced to political pawns in a broader conflict imposed by the State of Israel upon the Palestinian people,” he said.

Dimitri’s comments were made in light of increasing Israeli attempts to undermine the long-standing arrangements regarding Jerusalem’s holy sites. These efforts, he argues, are part of a broader Israeli strategy to rewrite the city’s history, erasing Christian and Muslim ties. “The Israeli authorities have consistently and violently sought to alter Jerusalem’s demographic and religious landscape,” Dimitri stated. “This includes restricting non-Jewish access to sacred sites and changing the physical boundaries around them, all in an attempt to solidify the Zionist false narrative at the expense of Jerusalem’s heritage.”

For Dimitri, the falsification of Jerusalem’s history is not a new phenomenon but rather a continuation of Israeli policies since the 1967 military occupation of East Jerusalem. Amid these challenges, Dimitri underscores the indispensable role of King Abdullah II in preserving the city’s identity. “The Hashemite Kingdom has been a steadfast protector of Jerusalem’s status as a shared and sacred space for all faiths. Under King Abdullah’s guidance, these holy sites remain safe from exploitation, ensuring they are not instrumentalized to serve Zionist political agendas,” Dimitri told Jerusalem Story.

Jordan’s direct relationship to Jerusalem and specifically to al-Aqsa Mosque goes back to the first Hashemite restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque in 1924. When the dust of the 1948 War settled, and the Jordanian army was able to keep the Old City of Jerusalem, Jordan’s late king Abdullah I rushed to annex Jerusalem administratively to the kingdom. Then, in April 1950, the decision was approved to uphold the unity of the two banks of the Jordan River and bind them into a single state, to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. That decision was officially enacted,7 and this was confirmed by the 1952 Constitution during the reign of the late king Talal bin Abdullah.8 Thus, Jerusalem and its endowments, including al-Aqsa Mosque, became directly subordinate to the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments. The ministry formed a special directorate for Jerusalem endowments in 1953, which continues to be the department that is authorized to manage the mosque.

Over the years, al-Aqsa has been the scene of many conflicts, with attempts to destroy it, replace it with a Jewish temple, and change its legal and administrative status. On August 21, 1969, Australian Christian Zionist Michael Rohan tried to burn the mosque. The fire destroyed an intricately designed 12th-century minbar (a pulpit in a mosque where the imam stands), known as the minbar of Salah al-Din. Rohan, who had been in Israel on a tourist visa, was arrested two days later and then deported. The arson, however, led to another major Jordanian restoration effort that took place in August 1969 and a new department, the Hashemite Fund for the Restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, was established in Jordan’s Royal Court in Amman.

Dr. Wasfi Kailani, executive director of the department, is one of the leading experts on Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque in particular, and a member of the Jerusalem Waqf Council. Currently, the department and all other issues related to religious affairs in Jerusalem are under the responsibility of Jordan’s Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, King Abdullah II’s cousin.

Jordan’s primary focus is on the administration and management of al-Aqsa Mosque through the Jordanian Islamic Waqf. In addition to al-Aqsa Mosque, the Jordanian Ministry of Waqf also manages and funds various other properties, including Islamic museums and schools in the Old City of Jerusalem and outside the city’s walls.

Despite the Israeli occupation in 1967, many Jerusalemites and all Palestinians in the West Bank continued to hold Jordanian citizenship; however, soon after the First Intifada began in 1987, Palestinian protestors made it clear that their allegiance is to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In July 1988, Jordan’s King Hussein severed Jordan’s administrative and legal relationship with the West Bank (see Precarious, Not Permanent: The Status Held by Palestinian Jerusalemites, Part 1).9 Nevertheless, the city of Jerusalem and its residents continue to be a main priority of the Jordanian government and King Abdullah II.

On March 31, 2013, King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a historic agreement in Amman which stated that King Abdullah II is the “custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem and has the full right to exert all legal efforts to safeguard and preserve them."10

For centuries and until today, Jordan’s role has been crucial in protecting Jerusalem’s holy sites, especially until a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is recognized.