BOB ABERNETHY: We begin our report today with a strange story from the Middle East: churches closing their doors as an act of protest. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, for two days this week, all Christian churches and shrines were closed to sometimes tearfully disappointed tourists and pilgrims. The reason for the protest was the growing crisis between Christians and Muslims in the Israeli city of Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. Kim Lawton is in Israel and has this report.

KIM LAWTON: For the first time in memory, pilgrims prayed outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried. Churches and shrines across the Holy Land were closed as part of the protest. The conflict began two years ago over a plot of land next to the Church of the Annunciation, which commemorates the angel Gabriel telling Mary she would give birth to Jesus. Nazareth officials wanted to build a plaza for the millions of expected millennial pilgrims, but a fundamentalist Muslim group wanted to build a large mosque there. Christians were concerned.

Unidentified Man #1: We are afraid that it will become a constant cause for dispute and struggle. When the pilgrims come into the basilica to pray, the Muslim will pray in Arabic with the loudspeakers, unfortunately, and that will be disturbing everybody.

LAWTON: Despite a court decision otherwise, Muslims claimed the land belonged to them. They conducted makeshift prayers there for the last two years. The government of Israel tried to come up with a compromise, giving much of the land to the Muslims, but telling them to build a smaller mosque.