OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 2 July 2003 — Bulldozers destroyed the foundations of a mosque near a Christian holy site in Nazareth, northern Israel, early yesterday, in accordance with a court order banning its construction, Israeli radio reported.
Seven Arab Israelis protesting the move were arrested while two of the hundreds of police deployed in the area were injured, one of them lightly stabbed, the radio said.
Police, who removed hundreds of local Muslims from the site, also used jack-hammers to destroy the partly-built mosque near the Church of the Annunciation.
The move was condemned by the Christian mayor of Nazareth, the largest Arab town in Israel, who accused the Israeli authorities of trying to stir up friction between Christians and Muslims. “The Israeli authorities want to spread discord between Muslims and Christians”, said Ramez Jraissi. “Why have they (the authorities) chosen this moment to carry out such an operation,” demanded the mayor who accused the Israelis of trying to foment tension between the two communities ahead of municipal elections.
The operation was launched following a court decision ordering the Waqf, the body charged with managing Muslim assets, to destroy the foundations, saying they had been illegally constructed.
Among those arrested were deputy Nazareth mayors Salman Abu Ahmad and Ahmad Zwabi, police said. Before his arrest, Abu Ahmad had condemned “the barbarous act of destroying a mosque” and called for the city council to resign in protest. Israel’s Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi said the move was based on a court decision, adding that Israel was bound by the rule of law.
