Rania Abushamala
31 March 2026•Update: 31 March 2026
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has declined recent requests from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to arrange a meeting between them, Israeli media reported Monday.
According to the public broadcaster KAN, Netanyahu’s office reached out several times to King Abdullah in recent weeks in an effort to set up talks, but the requests were rejected.
“At least one of the attempts was made before the outbreak of the current war with Iran,” KAN said.
The broadcaster said one of the reasons cited by Jordan was that the king would not consider meeting Netanyahu while Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem remains closed.
There was no immediate comment from the Jordanian side on the report.
Since Feb. 28, Israeli authorities have closed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, citing the ongoing war with Iran.
The Jerusalem Waqf Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, is the official custodian of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Waqf properties in East Jerusalem, in accordance with international law, which recognizes Jordan as the last local authority responsible for these holy sites before their occupation by Israel.
Jordan retained its right to oversee religious affairs in Jerusalem under the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty, which it signed with Israel in 1994.
A 2013 agreement between King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed Jordan’s custodianship over Jerusalem’s holy sites.
