US and Israel Prepare to Propose Resolution to Change Al-Aqsa Mosque Status Quo

Washington, MINA – Reports from Washington indicate that several US lawmakers allied with the Israeli right wing are preparing to introduce a controversial resolution in Congress that seeks to alter the long-standing status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.

The initiative is led by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (Republican–New York) and Congressman Clay Higgins (Republican–Louisiana), and is supported by the Zionist Organization of America and the Middle East Truth Foundation, two right-wing groups closely linked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Middle East Monitor reported.

According to the draft text, the resolution calls for the US House of Representatives to affirm Israel’s sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which Israel refers to as the Temple Mount, and to recognize the “inalienable right of the Jewish people to full access to the site and their right to pray and worship there, consistent with the principles of religious freedom.”

The proposal also reaffirms US recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. It describes the site as the “holiest place in Judaism” and a “holy site for Christians and Muslims,” claiming that Jews and Christians face “strict restrictions” on access compared to Muslims.

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The text states that Muslims are permitted to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque through 11 gates, while non-Muslims may use only one gate, with limited hours of operation. Furthermore, it mentions that non-Muslims are prohibited from entering on Fridays and Saturdays, thus preventing Jews from observing the Sabbath prayer there.

Despite being framed as a matter of religious equality, analysts warn that the resolution effectively seeks to nullify the 1994 Wadi Araba Treaty between Jordan and Israel, which officially established Hashemite rights over the Al-Aqsa Mosque and reaffirmed the existing status quo.

Under that arrangement, the Jordanian Islamic Waqf holds administrative and religious authority over the site. Any change to this system could lead to serious political and security implications across the region.

Observers have described the initiative as a dangerous political move, aligning with the Israeli right-wing agenda to assert full control over occupied Jerusalem and divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque temporally and spatially, a policy long opposed by Palestinians, Jordan, and the majority of the international community.[]

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)