10 January 2008
Arriving in Tel Aviv on his first visit to Israel as US president, George W. Bush stressed the importance of Israel's security as a Jewish state. "The United States and Israel are strong allies," the American leader said after a red carpet reception at the airport by Israeli political and religious leaders. "The source of that strength is a shared belief in the power of human freedom. Our people built two great democracies under difficult circumstances. The alliance between our two nations helps guarantee Israel's security as a Jewish state," he added.
Bush afterwards held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert focusing on the Middle East peace negotiations. The American president declared he was "very hopeful" a deal could be sealed by the end of his term next January, saying both sides should build on a "historic opportunity" for peace. Bush issued a warning about the threat posed by Iran: “Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat and Iran will be threat if the international community does not come together and prevent that country from having the know-how for a secret weapon," he said at a joint press conference with Olmert in Jerusalem.
On Thursday, Bush travelled to Ramallah where he met with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas. On Friday, he is due to visit the Israeli Holocaust memorial institution Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.