Glenn Beck, the American broadcaster whose regular talkshow was dropped by Fox News for being too rightwing, is to stage a rally on the edge of Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday to "demonstrate to the world that Israel does not stand alone".

Beck, who is a devout Mormon, has been in Israel for more than a week preparing for his "Restoring Courage" rally, which has prompted a "Glenn Beck Stay Home" Facebook page and the promise of protests outside the venue.

According to the organisers, every seat in the Davidson Centre, which can accommodate up to 2,000 people, is taken on an invitation-only basis, and a large outdoor screen is being erected in the centre of Jerusalem to cater for an overflow audience. The event will be broadcast live to "viewing parties" in more than 60 countries, including Belgium, and South Korea.

Beck will be supported on stage by the actor Jon Voight and mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat. The audience will be overwhelmingly comprised of American Christians who have bought package deals covering flights, accommodation and access to three Beck events in Israel this week. Many are Christian Zionists, whose ardent support of the Israeli state stems from the belief that the "ingathering" of Jews to the Holy Land is a prerequisite for the second coming of the messiah. However, their insistence that Jews must then convert to Christianity has alienated many Israelis.

Beck, who has a track record of embracing controversy, has also stoked opposition with antisemitic conspiracy theories and comments about the Holocaust.

The purpose of the rally, according to Beck's team, is "to stand with the Jewish people" against a peace deal with the Palestinians that would, he believes, put the holy sites of Jerusalem out of reach to the rest of the world.

"There are forces in this land [the USA], and forces all over the globe, that are trying to destroy us," Beck said when announcing the rally. "They are going to attack the centre of our faith, our common faith, and that is Jerusalem. And it won't be with bullets and bombs. It will be with a two-state solution that cuts off Jerusalem, the Old City, from the rest of the world."

Reinforcing his point, the rally is to be staged in the shadows of the Old City, close to both the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, and the Haram al-Sharif, also known by Jews as the Temple Mount, which is revered by Muslims. The time of the rally was brought forward to avoid coinciding with Muslim prayers signalling the end of Ramadan fasting.

Some Israeli-Arab members of the Knesset have said that the choice of venue so close to the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque could provoke violence.

Meanwhile, Peace Now, a leftwing Israeli organisation, has called for a demonstration against "this terrible event" after Beck likened tens of thousands of Israeli protesters demanding social justice and a lower cost of living over the past few weeks to Soviet-style communists.

Beck told the Jerusalem Post that he expected to lose "about a million dollars" on the three Israel rallies, but said: "I do what I'm supposed to do: to show the world the courage of Israelis and the choice between good and evil and life and death, and to remind people that life is not a spectator sport."

Among the audience will be some of the 81 US Congress members who are visiting Israel this summer as guests of the American Israel Education Foundation, which is an affiliate of the pro-Israel US lobby group Aipac.

The purpose of the delegations – which comprise one-fifth of Congress members – is to "learn first hand about the evolving security situation in the Middle East, the deep challenges facing Israel, and the role the US can play in the region during this time of uncertainty," according to Democrat Steny Hoyer.

Israel is counting on support from the US against the Palestinian bid to have their state recognised by the United Nations next month. President Obama has said the US will veto such a move in the UN security council.

• This article was amended 24 August 2011. The orginal said that Glenn Beck was a born-again Christian. This has been corrected.