Making a Permanent Home in the 'Promised Land'

From Media Transparency:

Christian Right's piece of the "Promised Land"

"Israel offers evangelical Christians land near the Sea of Galilee in the hopes of solidifying their support and boosting tourism

After more than 30 years of organizing testimonial dinners for right wing Israeli politicians, handing out checks to Israeli charities, and forming alliances with conservative Jewish leaders and organizations to support Israel, Evangelical Christians may finally be getting a piece of the "Promised Land."

In a move geared toward solving Northern Israel's unemployment crisis, increasing tourism to the country, and solidifying relations with US Evangelical Christians, the Israeli government has offered 35 acres of land on the shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) for development by Christian Evangelicals. The Israeli government is hopeful they will build a large conference center, complete with the requisite amenities, to attract hundreds of thousands of evangelical tourists from the US and other countries."

One quote from the article that really jumped out at me:

"Ari Marom, an Israeli official in charge of tourism marketing in the US, told the Financial Times. "The need and desire to strengthen our relationship with the evangelical community and encourage them to visit and support Israel not just from afar but up close, cuts across party lines.""