Prince Hassan of Jordan launches the Hashemite Endowment for Jerusalem

Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan led a two-day summit in Amman on April 15–16, 2026, dedicated to Jerusalem.1 The meetings, which featured a delegation of prominent Jerusalemites including members of the Islamic Waqf Council (see Jerusalem Receives a New Islamic Waqf Council amid Increasing Israeli Violations of al-Aqsa Mosque), culminated in the establishment of the Hashemite Endowment for Jerusalem.2

Former Jordanian prime minister Dr. Omar Razzaz announced the formation of a number of committees within the Hashemite Endowment based on the proposals submitted by delegation members. These committees will focus on Jerusalem and its people, including in the housing, education, health, youth, and tourism sectors, as well as the city’s Islamic and Christian endowments.

Rami Zeidan, founder and general manager of Traveller Experience Tours agency and a member of the delegation, told Jerusalem Story:

The prince explained that launching the Hashemite Endowment is not just an administrative procedure but an act of responsibility and a renewal of a firmly established historical and internationally recognized religious, historical, and legal covenant: Hashemite Custodianship. The endowment, which was first proposed in March, offers “two complementary forms of support, with one focusing on financial and service-oriented assistance to help Jerusalemites and bolster their resilience, and the other addressing administrative and legal needs to help Palestinians safeguard their historic and legal rights.”4

As His Highness described during his opening remarks on April 15: “Jerusalem is not a headline in a news bulletin, nor a passing negotiating file, but a living conscience and a daily test of our shared humanity.”

The prince also drew attention to escalating Israeli violations of the Status Quo agreement in Jerusalem. These include repeated Jewish extremist incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque and increasing Israeli restrictions on access to Islamic and Christian holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (see A Joyful Community Celebrating Holy Fire in a Newly Reopened Old City Faces Police Clampdown, Aggression). He warned that this pattern of measures aims to gradually impose a new reality on the ground (see Researcher Saher Ghazawi: Incremental Restrictive Measures Are a Way to Normalize a New Reality in the Old City).

“Jerusalem is not just a political issue,” he said, “but a human issue.” He emphasized that maintaining the Status Quo at al-Aqsa Mosque is essential for regional stability and that protecting the holy sites means protecting religious and cultural pluralism in the city.

The prince also pointed out the Israeli Knesset’s dangerous move toward implementing unprecedented punitive measures, including the recent passing of death penalty legislation against Palestinian prisoners (see On Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, Jerusalemites Feel Imperiled by Israel’s New Death Penalty Law), in direct violation of the principles of international humanitarian law.

During the two-day meeting in Amman, members of the Jerusalem delegation also shared the challenges they face on a daily basis under Israeli occupation, including the long-standing issue of the Absentees’ Property Law, which has become a sure way for Israel to confiscate Palestinian properties in the city. Many also described the worrying rise in the rate of settler attacks on Palestinian Muslims and Christians alike.

Speakers also described the severe restrictions on granting construction and housing permits, causing a housing crisis that affects young Palestinians. The shortage is estimated at more than 40,000 residential apartments annually in Jerusalem, which has led to a steep rise in real estate costs. In some parts of the city, apartments are going for $1 million, while the monthly rent for an apartment in neighborhoods outside the Old City has reached more than $2,000.

Simon Kuba, a prominent engineer in Jerusalem, shared the delegation’s concern about the seriousness of Israeli measures against Jerusalemites and spoke to the importance of the Hashemite initiative:

The new endowment will serve as a cornerstone for supporting Jerusalemites, not only politically and symbolically but also by improving their living conditions through investment in vital sectors such as education, health, and culture. In this sense, the endowment is not simply a tool for financial support but represents an integrated framework for strengthening the Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity of Jerusalem, and consolidating the historical rights of its people in their city.

Activist and resident of the Old City Nafiz Asila told Jerusalem Story that the Hashemite Endowment offers hope for Jerusalemites to remain steadfast in their city: 

Prince Hassan has long made Jerusalem a priority. For example, in May 2025, he hosted the Jerusalem Historians conference in Amman (see Love and Scholarship for Jerusalem Unite Historians at Landmark Conference in Amman) in his capacity as President of the Arab Thought Forum and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the El Hassan bin Talal Centre for Postdoctoral Studies of Jerusalem.

During the meeting, he discussed the “Jerusalem in Conscience” project, which he established over 20 years ago to support Palestinian Jerusalemites, especially at times of crisis.7 The following is a translation of the prince’s explanation of the project that appeared in the Egyptian al-Ahram newspaper in 2017:

A decade later, the Hashemite Endowment builds upon this vision for Jerusalem, affirming the historical and natural connection between Jordan and Palestine, particularly through the holy city.