NAZARETH, Israel — Israel has decided to block further construction of a large mosque on land that sits adjacent to the main church in Nazareth, the town in which tradition holds the angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus and where He spent his boyhood.
The mosque project had angered Christians and led to tensions between the Palestinian Christian and Muslim communities. Israel has a population of more than 1 million Muslims.
Muslim leaders called the government’s act “irresponsible.” Muslim plans to construct the mosque at one point threatened to bring about the cancellation of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Holy Land in 2001 and in 1999 sparked street clashes between Muslims and Christians.
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