WHILE THE DEMOCRATS GO, UMBRELLA-IN-HAND, TO DAMASCUS:

Thousands of Christians form 'virtual connection' to J'lem (ETGAR LEFKOVITS, 2/21/09, Jerusalem Post)

In an effort to connect with Israel both spiritually and physically, tens of thousands of Christians across the globe have watched live webcasts of Jerusalem holy sites on the Internet since the free service was launched several months ago, the head of a new Christian on-line broadcast provider said Friday.

More than 30,000 people have viewed the webcasts on www.ipraytv.com since its launch four months ago during the Feast of the Tabernacles/Succot, said Mike Peros, founder and CEO of IPrayTV.

The site, which rose to prominence after its live webcasts of Christmas in Bethlehem, has attracted Christians of various denominations as well as some believers of other faiths, although the majority of viewers were evangelical Christians, he said.

The service's launch, which was featured at this month's annual National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, came amid burgeoning relations between Israel and evangelical Christians around the world.