ABSTRACT
Politically, the relationship between evangelical and Israeli leaders grew exponentially when Menachem Begin became prime minister in 1977. The Jewish community navigate the issues in 2002, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs—the national umbrella group representing some 150 Jewish community relations councils and organizations—began formally studying American Christians' relationship to Israel through its Israel Advocacy Initiative. The Christian world may be wracked with controversy regarding its proper role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but Israeli governments have long welcomed the support of the evangelical community. An important component of this activity is not just to acquire political support, but also to continue to bring large numbers of Christian tourists to Israel. In 1990 the Ministry of Tourism, claiming that Christian pilgrims already made up 25 percent of the Jewish state's tourists, began paid commercials on American Christian television and radio stations that urged listeners to come "walk in the footsteps of Jesus".
