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Galilee biblical park on tap?
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel is offering evangelical Christians a chunk of the Holy Land.
Thirty-five acres of rolling hills and rocky shores of the Sea of Galilee, tucked between key sites in Jesus' ministry, would be leased to an association of evangelists led by American religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, Israeli tourism officials say.
APt
Robertson
The potential deal for turning over biblical lands to develop a tourist destination underlines how ties have strengthened in recent years between Israel and evangelical Christian groups that support the Jewish state.
For other Christian denominations, which represent tens of thousands of Arabs living in the Holy Land, the deal raises questions about possible threats to the sensitive status quo in the Galilee region where they have owned land for hundreds of years.
The land envisioned for the lease also is near a politically contentious area. It lies just under two miles from territory that Syria wants returned in any future peace deal with Israel, said a Syrian expert on geography, Hamed Halaby.
Israel says evangelical leaders have agreed to raise $50 million to build a Heritage Center on the site, hoping to attract tens of thousands of religious pilgrims a year.
Robertson said in a statement that he was "fully cooperating" with the project but no deal had been formalized. He added that he is thrilled "there will be a place in the Galilee where evangelical Christians from all over the world can come to celebrate the actual place where Jesus Christ lived and taught."
Israeli Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson said he expects a contract to be signed soon.
"There is no central place today in Israel for the evangelical Christians," Hirschson said. "Here they will be able to re-enact what happened."
Israel is considering leasing the land for free, said Ari Marom, director of the ministry's North American department.
He said the site could eventually draw as many as 1 million pilgrims a year. That many visitors would spend about $1.5 billion in Israel and support almost 40,000 jobs, he said.
"It's a win-win situation," Marom said. "Israel is giving over public land to a more or less public organization that will be used by millions of people."
The park area is on the northern end of the Sea of Galilee northeast of Capernaum, a favorite site for pilgrims because the New Testament calls it Jesus' "own city" (Matthew 9:1) and they can view the foundation of a synagogue where he preached (Mark 1:21).
Under the plan, the Christians would build a broadcast center from which to evangelize, an open-air chapel and an auditorium for re-enacting Jesus' journeys in the area, a Tourism Ministry brochure says.
Israel also plans to develop areas around the holy sites. Paths lined with sculptures and plaques would connect a triangle of holy sites: Capernaum; the Mount of Beatitudes, where tradition holds Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount; and Tabgha on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where the faithful believe he performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Evangelical Christians contribute millions of dollars to Israel every year and support the Jewish state in its conflict with the Palestinians, though the two sides are at odds over theological issues.
Some evangelicals believe that if Jews don't ultimately accept Jesus, then they will perish.
Israel, meanwhile, objects to the proselytizing that is a mainstay of the evangelical movement. At the center itself, however, evangelicals would not preach to Jews.
"The Tourism Ministry recognizes that it's time for us to have a stake in this as well," said David Parsons, spokesman for the International Christian Embassy, a Jerusalem-based group that represents evangelical Christians.
Other Christian denominations that own property in Galilee are concerned about the deal.
The Greek Orthodox Church, which has close to 90,000 Arab followers in the Holy Land, criticized Israel for not consulting its leaders on the issue.
"I react with skepticism and reservations," said Archbishop Aristarchos, the church's chief secretary. "This is a violation of the church's status quo, because each church has its territory and other churches cannot interfere."
Father Athanasius Macora, a spokesman for the Franciscan order, which since 1338 has overseen lands for the Roman Catholic Church at Galilee holy sites, said the Holy Land should be open to all denominations. But he also said Israel should be careful not to alter the pastoral landscape.
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Galilee biblical park on tap?
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel is offering evangelical Christians a chunk of the Holy Land.
Thirty-five acres of rolling hills and rocky shores of the Sea of Galilee, tucked between key sites in Jesus' ministry, would be leased to an association of evangelists led by American religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, Israeli tourism officials say.
APt
Robertson
The potential deal for turning over biblical lands to develop a tourist destination underlines how ties have strengthened in recent years between Israel and evangelical Christian groups that support the Jewish state.
For other Christian denominations, which represent tens of thousands of Arabs living in the Holy Land, the deal raises questions about possible threats to the sensitive status quo in the Galilee region where they have owned land for hundreds of years.
The land envisioned for the lease also is near a politically contentious area. It lies just under two miles from territory that Syria wants returned in any future peace deal with Israel, said a Syrian expert on geography, Hamed Halaby.
Israel says evangelical leaders have agreed to raise $50 million to build a Heritage Center on the site, hoping to attract tens of thousands of religious pilgrims a year.
Robertson said in a statement that he was "fully cooperating" with the project but no deal had been formalized. He added that he is thrilled "there will be a place in the Galilee where evangelical Christians from all over the world can come to celebrate the actual place where Jesus Christ lived and taught."
Israeli Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson said he expects a contract to be signed soon.
"There is no central place today in Israel for the evangelical Christians," Hirschson said. "Here they will be able to re-enact what happened."
Israel is considering leasing the land for free, said Ari Marom, director of the ministry's North American department.
He said the site could eventually draw as many as 1 million pilgrims a year. That many visitors would spend about $1.5 billion in Israel and support almost 40,000 jobs, he said.
"It's a win-win situation," Marom said. "Israel is giving over public land to a more or less public organization that will be used by millions of people."
The park area is on the northern end of the Sea of Galilee northeast of Capernaum, a favorite site for pilgrims because the New Testament calls it Jesus' "own city" (Matthew 9:1) and they can view the foundation of a synagogue where he preached (Mark 1:21).
Under the plan, the Christians would build a broadcast center from which to evangelize, an open-air chapel and an auditorium for re-enacting Jesus' journeys in the area, a Tourism Ministry brochure says.
Israel also plans to develop areas around the holy sites. Paths lined with sculptures and plaques would connect a triangle of holy sites: Capernaum; the Mount of Beatitudes, where tradition holds Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount; and Tabgha on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where the faithful believe he performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Evangelical Christians contribute millions of dollars to Israel every year and support the Jewish state in its conflict with the Palestinians, though the two sides are at odds over theological issues.
Some evangelicals believe that if Jews don't ultimately accept Jesus, then they will perish.
Israel, meanwhile, objects to the proselytizing that is a mainstay of the evangelical movement. At the center itself, however, evangelicals would not preach to Jews.
"The Tourism Ministry recognizes that it's time for us to have a stake in this as well," said David Parsons, spokesman for the International Christian Embassy, a Jerusalem-based group that represents evangelical Christians.
Other Christian denominations that own property in Galilee are concerned about the deal.
The Greek Orthodox Church, which has close to 90,000 Arab followers in the Holy Land, criticized Israel for not consulting its leaders on the issue.
"I react with skepticism and reservations," said Archbishop Aristarchos, the church's chief secretary. "This is a violation of the church's status quo, because each church has its territory and other churches cannot interfere."
Father Athanasius Macora, a spokesman for the Franciscan order, which since 1338 has overseen lands for the Roman Catholic Church at Galilee holy sites, said the Holy Land should be open to all denominations. But he also said Israel should be careful not to alter the pastoral landscape.
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