The British government has said Jordan's custodianship of Jerusalem's holy sites "must be respected" in a statement to Middle East Eye.

Last week MEE reported that the US and Israel are conspiring to strip the Jordanian royal family of its historic custodianship of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is enshrined in a long-standing status quo agreement. 

MEE put a recent letter independent MP Shockat Adam wrote to the British foreign secretary about the reported US-Israeli plans to the Foreign Office.

In response, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We value Jordan's important role as custodian of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem. The historic status quo arrangements at Jerusalem’s Holy Sites must be respected."

This is the first time the British government has reaffirmed its support for Jordanian custodianship since the MEE report.

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