Does Israel need fundie wackjob support this much?

Via Americablog comes another little gem from the nutballs at Agape Press (scroll down):

A coalition of ultra-Orthodox Jews from Jerusalem and evangelical Christians from the United States announced yesterday that their group intends to try to stop an international homosexual celebration called the "World Pride Parade" from taking place in the holy city this summer. However, the mayor of Jerusalem has said he has no means to prevent the "gay pride" event from occurring. The coalition, which includes a number of Israeli lawmakers, is hoping to collect a million signatures in opposition to the celebration. San Diego pastor Leo Giovinetti is the leader of the Christian group. According to Associated Press reports, organizers of the parade claim they want to promote tolerant coexistence, but Giovinetti believes holding the homosexual pride parade in Jerusalem will offend the religious sensibilities of many communities. He is quoted as stating that millions worldwide who pray for the peace of Jerusalem are "heartbroken" over what he calls a misguided effort to "divide, inflame and sow disunity." InterPride, the group that organizes homosexual pride parades around the world, made the decision to host the international event in Jerusalem this year. The last World Pride Parade was held in Rome, Italy, in 2000. Giovinetti believes the choice of a major religious center both then and now is no accident, but demonstrates clearly that the InterPride agenda is to provoke and offend religious communities.

I find this unholy (pun intended) alliance between Zionists and fundie wackjob Christians profoundly disturbing. Talk about selling your soul. I can't believe that either American Zionists or even orthodox Israeli Jews are so ignorant that they don't understand the basis for this so-called "support": the notion that a Jewish Israel is required for the Rapture to take place, whereupon those Jews who haven't decided to toe the party line will suffer the many torments that await nonbelievers, while the Raptured sit on the sofa, right next to God Himself, passing the popcorn and nachos while they argue over the remote, making sure they've set the TiVo so they can watch the sufferings again and again.

Now, Mr. Brilliant has opined that the Israelis are smart enough to have the upper hand in this little Faustian bargain, but I'm not so sure. And even if they do, it's appalling that people living in a country that was created in 1948 out of a sense of collective European guilt over its inaction during the Holocaust, are willing participants in this kind of bigotry.