US Lawmakers Push Controversial Resolution to Redefine Al-Aqsa Mosque Status Quo

Washington, MINA – A group of US lawmakers allied with Israel’s far-right are preparing to introduce a highly controversial resolution in Congress seeking to redefine the long-standing status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

The initiative, led by Representatives Claudia Tenney (R–New York) and Clay Higgins (R–Louisiana), is backed by the Zionist Organization of America and the Middle East Truth Foundation, two advocacy groups closely linked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Middle East Monitor reported.

The draft resolution calls on the US House of Representatives to affirm Israel’s sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, referred to by Israel as the “Temple Mount”, and to recognize what it describes as the “inalienable right of the Jewish people” to access, pray, and worship at the site “in accordance with religious freedom.”

It also reiterates Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, describing the site as “the holiest in Judaism” and sacred to both Christians and Muslims. The proposal claims that Jewish and Christian visitors face “severe restrictions” compared to Muslims, citing limited gate access and visiting hours.

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Analysts warn the resolution, though presented as a move for religious equality, could destabilize regional agreements by effectively undermining the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel, which affirms Jordan’s custodianship of Al-Aqsa and maintains the existing status quo.

Under this arrangement, the Jordanian Islamic Waqf holds administrative and religious authority over the compound. Any unilateral change, experts caution, could spark major political and security tensions across the Middle East.

Observers describe the initiative as a dangerous escalation aligned with Israel’s far-right agenda to assert full control over occupied Jerusalem and divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound spatially and temporally, a move firmly rejected by Palestine, Jordan, and the international community.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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