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An Israeli government inter-ministerial committee, studying the issue of the controversial proposed mosque in Nazareth near the Basilica of the Annunciation, has recommended that the mosque not be built on that site, and alternative sites in Nazareth are being located. Muslim activists, who occupied the area near the basilica, which the municipality had planned as a plaza for Christian pilgrims, asserted that the area formerly held a mosque. An earlier Israeli government committee had recommended allowing a mosque, albeit a smaller one than the activists demanded, but this decision led to an outcry from Christians around the world. Before permits were even issued, the Moslem activists wanted to create "facts on the ground" by excavating the site and pouring footings for the building. This activity damaged archaeological strata and disturbed an ancient cemetery located underground. The decision of the present committee against a mosque on this site has raised the ire of some of the more radical leaders in the Nazareth Islamic community. "We defeated the Crusaders 800 years ago and we will defeat the enemies of Islam today," said Nazareth Deputy Mayor Salman Abu Ahmed. He added that the Muslims would remain at the site, and he hoped that the government would not try to remove them by force. Construction and Housing Minister Natan Sharansky, who headed the present committee, said that one of the reasons it had recommended banning a mosque at the site entirely, while offering an alternative site, was that the Muslim activists had never respected the decision of either of the committees, but rather had occupied the entire area and used loudspeakers to broadcast threats to their opponents. Allowing the mosque to be constructed, Sharansky said, would be rewarding violence. "We have an obligation to safeguard the holy places and protect the rights of minorities and their freedom of religion," he added. "Tell the Pope and Bush that the Moslems in Israel won't forgive them," Abu Ahmed said. The Muslim leader also condemned local Christian leaders for their role in opposing the mosque without mentioning them by name. The Catholic leaders in Israel are part of the congregation of the Pope, inciters against Islam, Abu Ahmed said. Referring to Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Abu Ahmed said that the patriarch was not worthy of having Abu Ahmed mention his name. The local Christians leaders were, he added, a foreign element among the Arabs. Papal Nuncio Pietro Sambi said on March 11 that the government's ruling was a very wise decision. In response to Abu Ahmed's comments, Sambi said that the Christians arrived in this region at least 640 years before the Moslems. "If they want to speak of foreign bodies, they are more foreign," Sambi noted.
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