US President Bush arrived in Israel on Wednesday at the start of a three-day visit and said that he saw a "new opportunity" for peace in the in the Middle East.
TEL AVIV: US President George W Bush arrived in Israel on Wednesday at the start of a three-day visit and said that he saw a "new opportunity" for peace in the in the Middle East.
"The US and Israel are strong allies. The source of that strength is a shared belief in the power of human freedom. Our people built two great democracies under difficult circumstances," he told dignitaries at the welcoming ceremony Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
"The alliance between our two nations helps guarantee Israel's security as a Jewish state," he said.
The president also spoke against extremism, saying, "We most firmly oppose those who murder the innocent to achieve their political objectives."
Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed Bush by saying that the coming 12 months would be a "moment of truth" which had to yield not just words.
Peace, he added, could move forward on three tracks - political, economic and security.
Hinting at what is likely to be a prime topic of conversation between Bush and Israeli leaders, Peres said that Israel took the president's advice "do not underestimate the Iranian threat" and warned that "Iran should not underestimate our resolve for self defence."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confined himself to more general remarks, telling the president that his policies "have reflected a basic understanding of the challenges facing Israel and this troubled region, and a solid commitment to our national security."
"The bond between the state of Israel and the United States of
America is unshakable. It is based on the most fundamental common
ideas of freedom and democracy," he said.
Olmert and Bush are slated to hold talks later Wednesday after the president attends a reception at Peres' official residence in Jerusalem and due to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah on Thursday.
Prior to departing Washington, Bush said his trip was aimed at pursuing a "vision" for the creation of a Palestinian state as the basis for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US president rekindled the peace process by hosting the Annapolis, Maryland conference on Nov 27, when Olmert and Abbas agreed to resume negotiations for the first time in seven years with the goal of reaching a deal by the end of this year.
The visit is Bush's first as president to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The presidential airplane, Air Force 1, touched down at Ben Gurion shortly before noon local time (1000 GMT.)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}