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Cust Report (The Status Quo in the Holy Places, 1929)

A report compiled by Archer Cust, an officer in the Mandatory government, in September 1929, describing the status quo governing the holy sites in and around Jerusalem, including the respective rights of Christians, Muslims and Jews. These arrangements had been in place since 1757, and confirmed by an Ottoman firman (edict) in 1852 and by the 1856 Treaty of Paris and the 1878 Treaty of Berlin. Despite not including significant sites such as the Temple Mount/Al-Haram al-Sharif, Cust's report is considered an authoritative source on the status quo, and is currently used by the Israeli authorities in reference to Christian sites.