Jordan calls emergency Arab-Islamic meeting on Al-Aqsa

Jordan has convened an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic nations in Amman on Wednesday, August 5, warning of an imminent threat to the status of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the risk of a wider religious conflict. The gathering, hosted by Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, includes senior officials from countries including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.

The urgent diplomatic move follows a major escalation on July 23, when more than 2,000 Israeli religious nationalists, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, entered the holy site under police protection. Participants were seen praying and performing religious rituals throughout the compound, which Jordan condemned as the most serious violation of the status quo in modern history. The site, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and housing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, is Islam's third-holiest site. It is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. Under a longstanding arrangement, Jordan holds custodianship of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, with a...