NAZARETH, Israel — On July 1, Israelis operating heavy equipment carried out a court order to demolish the foundation of a mosque being built at a disputed site in Nazareth, the city where Jesus grew up. In 1999, the national Islamic Trust began building a mosque at the site in Nazareth with permission from Israel’s Jewish government, led at that time by Ehud Barak. The tomb of Shehab el-Din, the nephew of a Muslim hero who fought European crusaders in the 13th century, is located there. However, the proposed mosque is just steps away from the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation, which was built on the site where Christian tradition states the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she would bear Jesus the Messiah. Verbal protests over the mosque turned into violent riots between Christians and Muslims in April 1999.
After continued protests from numerous Christian denominations over the location of the mosque, Ariel Sharon’s cabinet reviewed the construction plan and halted the building of the mosque in March 2002, saying that the builders lacked proper permits. The ruling upheld an Israeli court order to halt the construction in January 2002. Muslims from the city gathered to protest the demolition. Seven were arrested by riot police, but the protests stayed peaceful.
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