The Roman Catholic Church has praised the Israeli government's decision on Sunday to permanently halt the construction of a mosque in Nazareth close to a major Christian site.

The mosque was being built close to the Basilica of the Annunciation, in Nazareth, the site where tradition holds that the Angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary she would give birth to Jesus.

Previous Israeli governments supported the building of the mosque, but some Christian groups found its proximity to the basilica provocative.

Muslims rioted during Easter 1999 when they feared the project to build the mosque might be blocked. The unveiling of the mosque's cornerstone later that year led to protests from the Vatican.

Building work on the mosque began at the end of last year in defiance of a court ruling. The Israeli government halted construction in January and set up a committee to make final recommendations. On Sunday the Israeli cabinet ruled that the building of the mosque should be halted.

Father Pierbattista Pizzabolla, a Jerusalem-based Franciscan priest, who is acting as the local spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church on the issue, said it was "a very wise and bold decision, and we give our blessing".

However, Muslim leaders in Nazareth, including the town's deputy mayor, Salman Abu Ahmed, reacted angrily.

"We defeated the Crusaders 800 years ago and we will defeat the enemies of Islam today," he said. The mosque was intended to mark the resting place of Shehab el-Din, a nephew of Saladin, the 12th-century Muslim hero who defeated the Christian crusaders at Jerusalem.

Abu Ahmed is convinced that the decision was made following pressure from both Pope John Paul II and U.S. President George W. Bush, who had raised the issue in talks with Israeli Prime ...