Muslims, Christians clash over Garden Tomb

Muslims, Christians clash over Garden Tomb

Friday, July 27, 2012 | Shlomo Mordechai

A dispute over a holy place in Jerusalem is threatening the delicate status quo between Christians and Muslims in the Holy City, with Israel caught in the middle. The Garden Tomb outside the Old City walls, with an ancient tomb carved into a rock, resembles the place where Jesus was buried according to biblical accounts.

Some Protestants believe it is the very place of Jesus’ resurrection, though most archaeologists place the actual site at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City.

The serenity of the site has been disturbed by the expansion of a Muslim cemetery adjacent to the Garden Tomb. Though the construction was approved by the Jerusalem Municipality, it is threatening the physical integrity of the Christian holy place, according to an investigative report by the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23317/language/en-US/Default.aspx