A British independent lawmaker has launched a formal call for the United Kingdom to take an unambiguous public stance against reported covert efforts by the United States and Israel to revoke Jordan’s centuries-old custodianship of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, a move that has sparked widespread outrage among Muslim communities globally.
Shockat Adam, who represents Leicester South in the UK Parliament, made the demand in an official letter dated May 29 addressed to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, days after independent outlet Middle East Eye (MEE) published an exclusive report outlining the proposed power grab that would upend decades of agreed status quo for the holy site.
MEE’s reporting, which cited anonymous confirmation from American, Jordanian, and Palestinian officials, details a plan spearheaded by former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Under the proposal, Israel would secure unilateral authority to appoint imams and senior administrative staff at Al-Aqsa, and would also gain veto power over the content of weekly Friday sermons delivered at the mosque. Two senior US officials additionally confirmed to MEE that Washington has drafted a formal policy document outlining its vision for the site, which includes stripping Al-Aqsa of its exclusive Muslim religious identity to rebrand it as a multi-faith tourist landmark open to all three Abrahamic religions. One alternative provision floated in the proposal would replace Jordan’s permanent custodianship with a rotating oversight model involving multiple Arab states, according to a Western official and a source briefed by Jordan’s government.
While a single unnamed US official has issued a blanket denial of the reported conspiracy, the revelations have already triggered sharp pushback from Muslim communities and political leaders. Adam confirmed in a public Twitter post accompanying a photo of his letter that his urgent appeal comes against the backdrop of ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, framing the proposed change to Al-Aqsa’s status as unacceptable interference in a highly volatile regional context.
In his letter, Adam notes that he has been inundated with messages from constituents in Leicester South expressing profound anger and deep alarm over the reported plans. He emphasized that for Palestinian people and Muslim communities across the globe, Al-Aqsa is far more than a site of daily worship: it stands as a core symbol of national and religious identity, collective dignity, and a bulwark against the ongoing displacement of Palestinian people from their historic lands.
Adam has put four key questions to the UK Foreign Secretary to force a clear government position: whether ministers have already raised the controversial reports directly with their US and Israeli counterparts; whether the UK continues to formally recognize and support Jordan’s long-standing custodianship role; what official assessment has been made of the risks of escalating ethnic violence, further displacement of Palestinians, and regional instability that would follow any attempt to alter the holy site’s existing status; and whether the government will commit to a clear public rejection of any effort to undermine Jordan’s internationally recognized custodianship.
The UK has long held an official policy of acknowledging Jordan’s custodianship over all Muslim and Christian holy sites located in East Jerusalem. MEE has contacted the UK Foreign Office for official comment on Adam’s letter and the reported plan, but has not yet received a public response.
MEE, an independent media outlet focused on exclusive coverage of the Middle East and North Africa, first broke the story of the proposed US-Israeli plan last week, bringing international attention to the highly sensitive issue that threatens to upend decades of fragile regional diplomacy around Jerusalem’s holy sites.