A "coalition of churches" is stepping up its campaign against the construction of a mosque at the foot of Nazareth's most famous basilica.

The coalition filed a formal complaint with the police against construction on the scene this week, claiming the project "injured Christian sensibilities." It also held a foreign press conference at the site, documenting the construction and calling on the government to halt the work. And on Sunday, several dozen protesters demonstrated outside the Prime Minister's Office until they were met by a representative from the office, to whom they explained their concerns.

According to sources in the coalition, which is made up of representatives from many of the country's churches, it has been trying to lobby Arab MKs to come out against the construction of the mosque. The sources said that some of the MKs oppose the project privately, but are afraid to come out against the mosque in public for fear of heightening tensions in the mixed city.

The project was approved by the Barak administration after months of demonstrations by Muslims in the Galilee city.

The Vatican has come out publicly against construction of a mosque on the site, and the church coalition is hoping that the Vatican will lobby Washington to put pressure on the government to halt the construction.

But waqf officials in Nazareth charged yesterday that "Westerners are trying to incite hatred" in the city." According to deputy mayor Ahmed Zuabi, a member of the waqf council, the church coalition consists of "unimportant people, and [its activities] constitute blatant intervention in the internal affairs of the city, whose residents are united around the decision to build a mosque."