Art News

Israeli Government Gives Go-Ahead to Museum of Tolerance Opposed by Muslims

JERUSALEM (AP).- The Israeli government has approved a Jewish group’s plan to build a museum over a centuries-old Muslim graveyard in Jerusalem, an official confirmed Wednesday, in the final go-ahead for a project delayed for years by Muslim opposition. The bitter wrangle over construction of the Museum of Tolerance reflects the explosive potential of religion-based disputes in Jerusalem, where Jews and Muslims often play down the other side’s historical ties to the city. The museum, which is meant to promote coexistence, is a project of a U.S.-based Jewish group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Israel’s Interior Ministry granted a building permit on Tuesday and construction can begin