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    JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - Christian leaders of many different denominations in the Holy Land pledged on Thursday that they will shut the doors to their churches for two days later this month in protest at the placement of a Muslim mosque near the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

    The Israeli government has sided with Muslims in Nazareth in an ongoing dispute over land in Nazareth which Christians wanted to use to accommodate expected hordes of pilgrims next year. Muslims had claimed that the land belonged to the local Islamic trust and wanted to build a huge mosque on the site.

    "We trust that we do not need to take any further steps in the near future," the Christian leaders said in a statement referring to the possibility that churches could be closed at Christmas, impacting an expected surge of visitors.

    The statement said "all Sanctuaries of the Holy Land will be closed on 22 and 23 November 1999" to express disapproval of the mosque plan. It was signed by the patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Armenian Churches and by the Franciscan "Custos of the Holy Land," who is responsible for key sites.

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