Update: Following discussions in Israel, ADL withdrew its call for halting construction on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. More

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Jerusalem, February 19, 2006…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Israel Office issued the following statement on the controversy concerning the building of a Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem over land that contains a recently discovered Muslim burial site.

"ADL believes that a Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem can be an important institution for educating against bias and for respect and understanding.  We trust that the same tenets that undergird the museum's mission will be applied to finding a resolution to address the concerns of the Muslim community and the families of those whose graves have been discovered."

"We encourage a temporary cessation of construction until the issue is resolved in a respectful way acceptable to all parties.  To do less would weaken the foundation upon which a museum of tolerance stands."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.