Over Sharon's dead body...

[kpete]

Plans for Holy Land theme park on Galilee shore where Jesus fed the 5,000

· Evangelical groups and Israel on brink of deal
· Some Israelis fear motives of US Christian right

Conal Urquhart in Tel Aviv
Wednesday January 4, 2006
The Guardian


The Israeli government is planning to give up a large slice of land to American Christian evangelicals to build a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee where Jesus is said to have walked on water and fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish.

A consortium of Christian groups, led by the television evangelist Pat Robertson, is in negotiation with the Israeli ministry of tourism and a deal is expected in the coming months. The project is expected to bring up to 1 million extra tourists a year but an undeclared benefit will be the cementing of a political alliance between the Israeli rightwing and the American Christian right.

However, the alliance has not been welcomed by all Israelis, including some who fear the ultimate aim of the evangelicals is the conversion of the Jews to Christianity rather than support for Israel.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1677557,00.html

[Skidmore]

1. The should be more worried that courting evangelicals for

political expediency will lead to more than just proselytizing--but the destruction of Israel itself. If the fundamentalists trigger a ME conflagration, Israel will be wiped out too.