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.
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The site of the centre, covering nearly 50 hectares (125 acres) and provisionally called the Galilee World Heritage Park, would be north-east of the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, and Capernaum which was described as the town of Jesus in the Bible. It would feature a garden and nature park, an auditorium, a Holy Land exhibition, outdoor amphitheatres, information centre and a media studio.

Robertson pronounces himself thrilled that "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."

Indeed, as noted by commenter DAVID_C_COLGAN at Media Matters, the possibilities are endless.

Jesusland ROCKS!

I dunno, this theme park sounds kind of fun...

"Look, there's a picture of little Jimmy being baptized on the flume! That was right before I went to the Mary Magdalene Kissing Pagoda."

"Do you remember when you sunk the council of Elders in the dunk tank and won the 'Hanging Judas Keychain'? Too bad you weren't as good at the Whack-a-Rabbi, we could have cleaned them out of the talking Lazarus dolls." "Hey!! Here's a picture of you as John the Baptist, behind the cardboard cutout. It's good you didn't let park security see that, or you could have ended up as the 'Silver Platter Special' in the Last Supper Bar and Grille!"

"What a day! Little Jimmy wore that crown of thorns for weeks after we came back to Oklahoma!"

Gee Whiz...

But despite the jubilation of both Pat Robertson and the Israeli ministry of tourism's Avraham Hirschson at the prospect of up to a million additional tourists and their dollars each year, not all Israelis in official positions are smiling.  

Yossi Sarid, a former government minister and member of the Knesset, said he was wary of the friendship of the American Christian right and projects such as the Galilee centre. He said: "I am not enthusiastic about this cooperation because I have no desire to be cannon fodder for the evangelists.

"As a Jew, they believe I have to vanish before Jesus can make his second appearance. As I have no plans to convert, as an Israeli and a Jew, I find this a provocation. There is something sinister about their embrace."

But I guess we already know what Pat Robertson's version of a ventriloquist god would have to say about that.