AFP, Jerusalem

Israel said yesterday it will invest $1.5mn for the renovation of Christian sites in the Holy Land ahead of Pope Benedict XVI’s planned visit in May.

The Ministry of Tourism said it “will invest 6mn shekels in renovations and preparations at Christian sites” in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

They include Qasr el-Yahud, believed by some to be the spot where Jesus was baptised; the Good Samaritan site, where Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan is thought to have taken place and the “Jesus Trail” between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, a hiking trail linking places mentioned in the New Testament.

Benedict’s visit - his first since becoming Pope in 2005 - is to include celebrating mass in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem and meeting Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confirmed last month that the pontiff would visit in May, with news reports saying the trip would take place from May 8 to 14.