Jerusalem, January 15: Leading US architect Frank O. Gehri has announced he is withdrawing from the Museum of Tolerance project in occupied Jerusalem which detractors say is being built over an ancient Muslim graveyard, the Haaretz newspaper said on Friday.
The newspaper said he stepped down over planning and financial disagreements for the museum.
Israel’s Supreme Court initially halted construction but gave the green light after rejecting appeals in October 2008 by two Muslim organisations which complained that the museum would be built over part of an ancient Muslim cemetery.
But Haaretz reported that Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch decided on Thursday to cancel plans to set up court buildings in the area.
The newspaper did not say whether Gehri’s decision and that by Beinisch were linked to the controversy over the ancient graveyard.
Israel occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem in 1967.
Palestinian East Jerusalem is considered by the international community to be illegally occupied by Israel, in contravention of several binding UN Security Council Resolutions.
In these resolutions, the United Nations Security Council has also called for no measures to be taken to change the status of Jerusalem until a final settlement is reached between the sides.
–Agencies