Bush to Visit Israel and West Bank in January

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071218/pl_nm/palestinians_israel_bush_dc_2

President George W. Bush will visit Israel, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East next month to help advance the revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the White House said on Tuesday.

The announcement of Bush’s January 8-16 trip follows a U.S.-hosted conference last month in which Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised to seek a peace deal by the end of 2008.

After the 44-nation gathering, Bush assured the two leaders the United States would actively engage in peacemaking, despite deep skepticism over the chances for an agreement before he leaves office in January 2009.

Olmert and Abbas are politically weak at home, and Bush is weighed down by an unpopular war in Iraq. Criticized for a hands-off approach to Middle East diplomacy, Bush’s decision to make the trip appears intended to reinforce his newfound commitment.

“What the president’s role can be is to help encourage them, to help continue to push on those negotiations,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Bush’s trip will also include visits to Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt. Saudi Arabia, however, is considered the linchpin in any broader Arab-Israeli peace process.

The White House had disclosed earlier this month that Bush would visit the Middle East in January but had withheld precise dates and venues until now.

Bush to Visit Israel and West Bank in January

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