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A report published by Middle East Eye claims that the United States and Israel are quietly advancing a dramatic proposal that would dismantle Jordan’s longstanding custodianship over the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Yerushalayim and replace it with a new governing structure more closely aligned with Israeli oversight and interests.
According to multiple American, Jordanian, Palestinian, Gulf Arab, and Western sources cited in the report, the initiative is being championed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The proposal would reportedly end the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf and establish a new Israeli-created administrative body that would redefine the Al-Aqsa compound as a “multi-faith centre.”
Officials familiar with the discussions told Middle East Eye that the proposed framework would permit Jews “equal access” to the site and officially authorize organized Jewish prayer there in large groups.
Under the alleged arrangement, Israel would also gain substantial influence over the appointment of imams, mosque administrators, and preachers, while additionally taking part in approving the content delivered in Friday sermons.
Two American officials told the outlet that Washington had already prepared a draft outlining its vision for the future of the compound. According to those sources, the Trump administration envisions transforming Al-Aqsa from an exclusively Muslim religious site into a tourist destination representing all three Abrahamic faiths.
A Western official and another source briefed by Jordanian authorities said one proposal under discussion would create a rotating oversight structure involving multiple Arab countries.
According to those sources, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates have already been briefed on the American initiative.
However, two Gulf Arab sources and another individual familiar with Jordanian deliberations said Saudi Arabia strongly opposes the proposal, viewing it as dangerously destabilizing.
Sources cited in the report said Israel first presented the concept to the Trump administration nearly ten years ago, but that the effort intensified after Huckabee assumed his diplomatic post last year. According to the report, Huckabee “repeatedly” urged Washington to move forward with the plan.
Huckabee, an Evangelical Christian and longtime supporter of Israel, has consistently backed Israeli settlement activity in disputed territories and has advocated for expanded Jewish rights on Har Habayis.
One source close to the Jordanian government told the outlet that “the Americans have been angry that the Jordanians cite their custodianship and raise complaints about Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa”.
The tensions have escalated in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Jordan’s parliament condemned Israeli efforts to seize Palestinian property and Islamic endowments in areas surrounding the mosque compound.
Sources interviewed by Middle East Eye said the proposal leaves unresolved questions surrounding Yerushalayim’s Christian holy sites.
Jordan’s royal family also serves as custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Ascension, and maintains veto power over the appointment of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Yerushalayim.
“This plan says nothing about the Christian sites, which raises a whole new set of concerns,” one of the sources said.
A Jordanian government official insisted that the kingdom’s position regarding Yerushalayim remains unchanged and emphasized that the Hashemite custodianship is recognized internationally through treaties and formal agreements, including the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.
The official said Jordan continues coordinating with Palestinian, Arab, and international partners to preserve the sites’ “Arab, Islamic and Christian identity” and block attempts to alter the historical status quo.
For decades, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound has operated under a carefully maintained arrangement preserving its standing as an exclusively Islamic holy site.
Following the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel and Jordan reached an understanding under which the Islamic Waqf would retain control over internal religious administration while Israel handled outside security responsibilities.
Although non-Muslims may visit during designated hours, Jewish prayer at the site is officially prohibited under the current arrangement.
For Jews, the area is revered as Har Habayis, the location where the two Batei Mikdash once stood — first the Beis Hamikdash built by Shlomo Hamelech and later the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans.
Jordanian and Palestinian officials reportedly believe the emerging proposal resembles the arrangement imposed at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Chevron after the 1994 massacre carried out by an Israeli settler.
Following that attack, Israel formally divided the site between Muslim and Jewish worshippers, allocating 63 percent for Jewish prayer and 37 percent for Muslims despite the location’s significance to all three major monotheistic faiths.
For Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, control over Al-Aqsa is viewed as a central pillar of the kingdom’s legitimacy and standing in the Muslim world.
The Hashemites trace their custodianship over Yerushalayim’s holy sites back to 1924 during the British Mandate period following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the end of the Islamic Caliphate.
After losing control of Mecca and Medina to the Saudi royal family, the Hashemites were granted responsibility for Muslim and Christian holy sites in Yerushalayim.
Jordan’s role was later formally acknowledged in its peace treaty with Israel, which recognized Amman’s “special role” concerning Yerushalayim’s Islamic holy places.
Still, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders have long argued that Israeli governments and nationalist activist groups have steadily weakened that arrangement over time.
Repeated Israeli police operations inside the compound, growing visits by nationalist Jewish activists, and calls by Israeli ministers to allow Jewish prayer at the site have fueled accusations that Israel is gradually reshaping the status quo.
Waqf officials have also accused Israel of severely restricting maintenance and repair work at the compound while imposing increasing limitations on Muslim worshippers.
Mustafa Abu Sway, deputy chairman of the Waqf council, declined to directly address Jordan’s diminishing influence but described the Hashemite role as “a cornerstone for stability in the region”.
He added that Palestinians regard the custodianship “strategically as a lifeline” and said Jordan has consistently defended the historic arrangement at international institutions such as UNESCO.
“The Hashemite Custodianship is a cornerstone for stability in the region, undermining it is tantamount to undermining the very principles for peace”.
The Yerushalayim Governorate said it had not been officially informed about such a proposal but declared that it “reject[s] it entirely”.
Officials there warned of what they described as a “dangerous escalation” in Israeli interference with Waqf operations, including restrictions placed on guards and employees and increasing visits by Jewish activists.
Two Gulf Arab sources told the outlet that Jordan would likely seek broader regional support to counter the reported American-Israeli initiative.
Despite Jordan’s growing diplomatic ties with the UAE, the sources said Saudi Arabia would almost certainly oppose any move that weakens the Hashemite custodianship.
“Saudi Arabia fully understands that if any moves are taken against the Hashemite custodianship, then that would inflame the entire region,” one Gulf Arab source said.
Another Gulf Arab source described the custodianship as “a pillar of regional stability”, adding: “The Saudis may have disagreements with Jordan on some issues, but on Yerushalayim and Al-Aqsa they understand the consequences of dismantling the existing arrangement”.
The report also said Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah has developed increasingly close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in recent years, particularly after several Arab states normalized relations with Israel.
Still, the sources acknowledged uncertainty about how Saudi Arabia would react if the UAE or Bahrain publicly endorsed the proposal.
Since signing the Abraham Accords in 2020, both Bahrain and the UAE have dramatically expanded political, economic, and security cooperation with Israel despite growing outrage across the Arab world over developments in Yerushalayim and Gaza.
The UAE in particular has become Israel’s closest Arab ally, broadening ties in trade, defense, energy, and technology.
Officials cited in the report expressed concern that Emirati-backed interfaith initiatives promoting “multi-faith coexistence” could eventually be used to justify changes at Al-Aqsa.
In 2023, the UAE opened a major interfaith center housing a church, synagogue, and mosque together on one campus.
Bahrain has likewise maintained close cooperation with Israel and has defended those ties as strategically necessary in confronting Iran.
According to the report, Bahraini officials have generally refrained from publicly criticizing Israeli policy in Yerushalayim, increasing fears among Palestinian and Jordanian officials that Manama may ultimately support changes at the holy site.
“They [UAE and Bahrain] understand how explosive this issue is in the Arab and Muslim world,” one of the sources said.
“Given that they are closely aligned with Israel, they should be cautious about publicly supporting changes to the status quo,” they added.
Middle East Eye said it contacted the foreign ministries of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE but received no response before publication.
After the article appeared, an American official issued a brief denial rejecting the report outright and calling the claims that Washington was working to remove Jordan’s custodianship “totally false.”
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Deputy Minister Yisroel Eichler launched a sharp attack Monday night against Israeli police and the judicial system over attempts to arrest yeshiva bochurim, accusing authorities of targeting Torah students whose “only crime,” he said, is learning Torah.
In a strongly worded statement, Eichler condemned what he described as efforts “to hunt down and arrest innocent yeshiva students in the streets.”
According to Eichler, “their only sin is Torah study.” He argued that the judicial system has become a “dictatorial regime of those who persecute Torah and those who learn it,” and charged that the police have been “dragged into carrying out humiliating arrests against Torah learners who committed no crime.”
Eichler also sharply criticized police conduct surrounding enforcement of military draft regulations, saying that “the police, which failed to eliminate crime, must take into account the historic consequences of a war between armed police officers and students.”
He further warned that “history will record a mark of shame upon those who persecute innocent Jews devoted to Torah.”
The deputy minister said the proper role of law enforcement is “to preserve public order and protect Jews whose entire desire is to uphold the Torah of Israel,” warning that what he called the ongoing persecution “could lead to innocent blood being spilled.”
Concluding his remarks, Eichler urged Israeli police officers “not to listen to the jurists,” claiming that they “are attempting to undermine the foundations of Jewish existence in Eretz Yisroel.”
{Matzav.com}
Thousands of children from Torah schools, together with leading rabbinic and chassidic figures, gathered this past week in Beit Shemesh for a massive public assembly ahead of Shavuos that featured a rare double Pidyon Peter Chamor ceremony, an event many residents described as something the city had not seen in years.
The gathering was organized by the city’s chassidic faction, including chairman Shimon Goldberg, Yeshaya Weissman, and Avraham Nachman Frenkel, in cooperation with Mayor Shmuel Greenberg.
Kedushas Aharon Street was closed to traffic and transformed into a large event complex to accommodate the thousands who attended. Hundreds of children from Torah schools and chadorim across the city arrived in organized groups following extensive preparations and coordination with school administrations.
The event featured stirring music and emotional songs led by singer and composer Bentzi Stein together with the “Kapella” choir and keyboardist Mendy Brandwein. The crowd joined in singing “U’vchein Tzaddikim Yir’u V’Yismachu” as one rabbinic leader after another ascended the stage.
Among those in attendance were the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, the Lelov Rebbe, the Trebishan Rebbe, the Shotz-Drohobych Rebbe, the Kasho Rebbe, the Ziditshov Rebbe, the Spinka-Sasregen Rebbe, the Radoshitz Rebbe, the Amshinov Rebbe, the Lizhensk Rebbe, the Dzshikov-Vizhnitz Rebbe, and the Bergsaz Rebbe, along with dozens of rabbanim and community leaders from throughout the city.
The gathering opened with remarks from Harav Asher Schwartz, one of the city’s rabbanim and author of the sefer “Maadanei Asher,” who spoke about the importance of preparing properly for mitzvos and the holiness of the days leading up to Shavuos.
The keynote address was delivered by the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, who spoke at length about the sanctity of the three days of preparation before Matan Torah and the proper mindset needed to receive the Torah.
One of the most emotional moments of the evening came when the Lelov Rebbe cried out “Shema Yisroel,” prompting thousands of children and participants to proclaim the words together in a thunderous voice that echoed throughout the city and gave the event the atmosphere of a modern-day Sinai experience in the streets of Beit Shemesh.
Later in the evening, two separate Pidyon Peter Chamor ceremonies were conducted one after the other. The first ceremony was performed by the Spinka-Sasregen Rebbe serving as the kohen, followed by a second Pidyon Peter Chamor conducted by Harav Aharon Katz, rav of Kehillas Brod in Ramat Beit Shemesh D.
The large-scale operation and coordination of the event were overseen by Tzvi Frenkel, director of the “לטובת” center, who spent weeks organizing logistics with local communities, Torah schools, safety officials, and the “Aktiver” production company.
Organizers and residents in Beit Shemesh described the gathering as “not just another event, but a historic moment of Torah, unity, and Kiddush Hashem that the city has not witnessed in many years.”
פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטייןפטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump is expected to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this week for what the White House has described as a routine medical examination. However, the upcoming visit comes amid growing public scrutiny in the United States regarding the 79-year-old president’s physical and cognitive condition.
According to a report published by Maariv, this will mark Trump’s third visit to the military hospital in just 13 months — an unusually high frequency for a sitting president. Reports noted that his previous visit, which took place last October, sparked widespread speculation, and only three months later did the White House acknowledge that Trump had undergone a CT scan intended to rule out cardiovascular and vascular problems.
The White House has continued portraying Trump as being in excellent health, but independent physicians and a Washington Post investigation have raised concerns over several symptoms and incidents documented in recent months. Among the issues highlighted were recurring bruises on the president’s hands, which White House officials attributed to aspirin use and frequent handshaking.
Trump was also seen with swelling in his legs. Administration officials previously said the condition was related to chronic venous insufficiency, but senior cardiologists warned that such symptoms — particularly when combined with reports of sudden drowsiness — can in some cases point to more serious medical conditions, including heart failure.
Trump himself has continued making his physical and cognitive health part of his public image. He has repeatedly touted the results of cognitive tests he says he passed, emphasized his fitness for office, and mocked critics questioning his condition.
At the same time, however, a Washington Post poll found that only about 40% of Americans believe Trump possesses the mental sharpness necessary to serve effectively as president.
{Matzav.com}
[Video below.] New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Monday that federal officials blocked her from entering the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark as demonstrations intensified outside the building and detainees inside reportedly launched a hunger strike over conditions.
Sherrill said the refusal to allow access to the facility only deepened concerns about what may be taking place behind closed doors.
“I have long opposed private detention facilities and will continue to advocate for the closure of Delaney Hall and against any expansion of mass detention facilities in New Jersey, like the proposed facility in Roxbury,” Sherrill said in a statement obtained by NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. “I came today to hear from families and advocates, and what I heard from them was heartbreaking.”
The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized the visit, accusing the governor of turning the situation into a political spectacle.
A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that Sherrill’s appearance at the detention center was “nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside in the facility.”
Several Democratic officials from New Jersey accompanied Sherrill, including Andy Kim, Rob Menendez Jr., Nellie Pou, and LaMonica McIver. The lawmakers met with demonstrators gathered outside Delaney Hall after confrontations broke out Sunday, during which protesters claimed ICE officers used pepper spray against them, according to WABC.
Federal officials said Kim was eventually permitted to enter the facility after contacting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin directly. DHS did not clarify whether Sherrill or the other lawmakers were ever granted entry.
Mullin pushed back against allegations surrounding conditions at the center, rejecting claims that detainees had begun a hunger strike and insisting that the facility was not operating under “subprime conditions.” He also accused Democratic officials in New Jersey of “smearing ICE law enforcement.”
Demonstrations outside Delaney Hall began Friday after activist Gabriela Soto arrived at the site during the launch of what organizers described as a hunger and labor strike by detainees, according to The City, a New York-based outlet. Protest organizers said roughly 300 detainees participated, demanding the release of elderly and younger detainees as well as those suffering from medical problems.
Soto said her husband, who has reportedly been detained since February, was confined to a cell for eight hours while being questioned by officers.
“The people inside Delaney Hall are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and members of our community,” she said. “In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity. We have a duty to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of everyone within our borders.”
DHS officials described the protests as disruptive and aggressive. According to a spokesperson, approximately 125 protesters, “many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags… formed a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits.”
The lawmakers accompanying Sherrill also criticized the conditions inside the detention center after attempting an unannounced oversight inspection Sunday night. Menendez said he too was prevented from entering.
“I was told that I would be able to go inside at 8 a.m., but ICE continues to deny entry,” he wrote on social platform X Monday morning.
Pou, Kim, and McIver each posted photographs from the protest scene on X and publicly demanded that Delaney Hall be shut down.
Cory Booker also announced Sunday that he planned to visit the facility.
“Immigrants at Delaney Hall are on a hunger strike because they are fighting for their human rights,” he wrote on X. “The conditions there are deplorable… Enough is enough — not in New Jersey, not anywhere.”
Federal officials defended the detention center’s operations and insisted detainees are receiving proper care. A DHS spokesperson said inmates are given three meals daily along with water, bedding, clothing, and hygiene supplies, adding that ICE “has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”
{Matzav.com}
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly told regional officials in recent discussions that he does not believe a significant diplomatic breakthrough with Israel is possible under the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to a report aired Monday night by Kan News, a regional source familiar with the matter said the Saudis have made clear that any move toward normalization or closer ties with Israel would require a firm Israeli commitment regarding the Palestinian issue.
The report also said Israeli officials were informed in advance about President Donald Trump’s initiative to connect a developing agreement with Iran to a broader expansion of the Abraham Accords that would include Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
An Israeli source told Kan News that the proposal came up during discussions between Trump and Netanyahu.
At the same time, negotiations between the United States and Iran remain unresolved, with major disagreements still lingering over key elements of the proposed agreement. Qatar has reportedly intensified its efforts to mediate between the sides, and its role in the negotiations has become increasingly central.
Earlier reports indicated that Trump is attempting to transform the Iran talks into a much larger regional arrangement by linking a potential agreement with Tehran to a dramatic expansion of the Abraham Accords involving additional Arab and Muslim nations.
In an unusual post published on Truth Social, Trump wrote that negotiations with Iran are “going very well,” while warning that only two outcomes remain possible: “a great deal for everyone,” or a return to military conflict that would be “bigger and stronger than ever before.”
According to Trump, during conversations held Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, he stressed that after the American effort to “put together the complicated puzzle,” most of those countries should sign onto the Abraham Accords simultaneously.
Trump acknowledged that one or two countries might ultimately choose not to participate, but insisted that “most should be ready, willing and able” to turn a potential Iran agreement into what he described as a far larger historic regional achievement.
{Matzav.com}
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is reportedly dismissing concerns that a national election scheduled for mid-September could disrupt travel to Uman and negatively impact the chareidi tzibbur, saying the date would actually benefit the broader right-wing bloc.
According to reports from closed-door discussions, Deri argued that elections held on September 15 would not significantly interfere with the annual pilgrimage to Uman surrounding Rosh Hashanah.
“People return immediately after the Yom Tov, it won’t have an impact. It’s a date that is good for the entire right-wing bloc, not just for Shas,” Deri reportedly said.
Sources in Shas emphasized that the final decision ultimately rests with Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, who is expected to discuss the issue further with Deri in the coming days.
At the same time, Netanyahu has reportedly continued telling associates in private conversations over the past 24 hours that he wants to exhaust every possible avenue to delay elections as long as possible, with his preferred target date said to be October 27.
The issue has created growing tension within the coalition, particularly with representatives from United Torah Judaism, who oppose a September 15 election date because it falls during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah and could interfere with the schedules of talmidei yeshiva.
During the party’s faction meeting Monday, officials from United Torah Judaism reportedly accused Deri of acting on Netanyahu’s behalf in an effort to undermine the possibility of September elections and push the political system toward an October vote instead.
{Matzav.com}The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal is raising alarm over President Trump’s ongoing negotiations with Iran, warning that easing pressure on Tehran before major nuclear issues are resolved could create dangerous long-term consequences and weaken America’s leverage in the region.
In its coverage and commentary surrounding the negotiations, the Journal warned that sanctions relief and economic concessions could become “difficult to reverse” if Iran later fails to meet verification requirements or refuses to fully dismantle key elements of its nuclear infrastructure.
The paper also described the negotiations as unfinished and unstable, noting that critical questions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, uranium enrichment, and enforcement mechanisms remain unresolved.
One Journal report said the proposed framework would give both sides additional time to negotiate “thorny issues including Tehran’s nuclear program,” while critics quoted by the paper questioned whether the concessions under discussion would be worth the risks.
The Journal additionally highlighted growing concerns among Trump allies and foreign policy hawks that Iran could secure economic relief while maintaining significant leverage and enrichment capabilities. One report noted that “many of Trump’s political allies openly urged Trump to resume strikes on Iran instead of making diplomatic concessions.”
President Trump has continued defending the talks, insisting that any agreement would fully protect American interests and only move forward if Iran accepts strict U.S. conditions. Administration officials have acknowledged, however, that negotiations remain active and that major details are still being worked out.
Trump has also lashed out at critics attacking the negotiations before a final agreement has been completed. According to reports, he argued opponents do not yet know the actual contents of the deal and are reacting prematurely.
Republican lawmakers including Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham have continued warning that any relaxation of sanctions could strengthen Tehran economically and strategically while undermining years of American pressure efforts.
Former Trump administration officials have also expressed concern. John Bolton and other Iran hawks have repeatedly argued that partial agreements risk leaving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure largely intact while giving the regime badly needed financial breathing room.
Several analysts aligned with pro-Israel security positions have echoed those warnings, arguing that limited agreements lacking aggressive verification systems could allow Tehran to preserve uranium enrichment capabilities while still receiving economic benefits and sanctions relief.
Trump, meanwhile, has rejected accusations that he is preparing to accept weak terms, insisting that he would never agree to “a bad deal” and arguing that many of the loudest critics are reacting without full knowledge of the negotiations themselves.
{Matzav.com}
