Amid scepticism, Bush begins his visit to West Asia

Bush is scheduled to meet Olmert for extended discussions later on Wednesday, and to meet the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday at his administration headquarters in Ramallah. American officials have played down expectations about any breakthrough during his visit here, the first leg of a trip that will also take him to Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Bush, though, spoke broadly of the promise of peace, while praising the American alliance with Israel as a guarantee of “Israel’s security as a Jewish state”.

Bush’s statement was loaded with its own significance, since the reference to Israel as a Jewish nation is seen by Palestinians as an acceptance of Israel’s refusal to allow Palestinian refugees who left in 1948 and their descendants to return to their homes in what is now Israeli territory.

“We will do more than defend ourselves,” Bush said at Ben-Gurion Airport. “We seek lasting peace. We see a new opportunity for peace here in the Holy Land, and for freedom across the region.”

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