Bush in Middle East
Updated on 10 January 2008
George Bush arrives in Israel for the first time in his presidency and tells his hosts it is time to "end the occupation."
Occupation has always been a loaded word here, the Palestininas using it, the Israelis usually avoiding it. President Bush's choice of it possibly a sign he wants to be seen as an honest broker in his last year in office.
Despite Mr Bush's s tougher tone, there seemed no obvious discomfort as the Israeli Prime minister hosted a dinner for him. President Bush has long been seen as a strong friend and supporter of Israel.
Hours earlier in Ramallah, he had told Palestinian leaders that he expected a Middle East peace treaty before he left office this time next year.
But his belated attempt to push the issue to the top of the international agenda is fraught with difficulty.
The Presidents words have changed, with Mr Olmert lacking public support and President Abbas only in control of half the palestinian areas, the changes on the ground may take much longer than the timetable he's set.
But what Mr Bush means by an end to the occupation isn't clear.
Israeli settlements now lie on some of the land captured in the 1967 war, with around a quarter of a million people living in them. While the President has talked about removing illegal outposts, he hasn't talked about removing the settlemtents, and he admitted current realities on the ground would decide future borders. But he warned the Israelis about further settlement building, and warned the Palestininas about Israels right to security.
