The British government has stated that Jordan’s historical custodianship over Jerusalem’s holy sites must be respected. In a statement to Middle East Eye, a Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK values Jordan’s important role as custodian and emphasized that the existing historical status quo at these sites must be maintained. This marks the first official reaffirmation of support for Jordan’s role following reports of a joint US-Israel plan to alter the arrangement.

According to Middle East Eye, the alleged plan aims to remove the Jordanian royal family’s long-standing custodianship over Al-Aqsa Mosque, replacing it with an Israeli-established body that would designate the site as a multi-faith center. The report named Jared Kushner and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee as key backers. Independent MP Shaukat Adam wrote to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper expressing constituents’ anger and concern over the reports and asking whether the UK had raised the issue with Israel and the US.

The UK’s official policy recognizes Jordan’s custodianship of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites. The government has also recently toughened its criticism of Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and is considering restrictions on imports from those settlements.