US President Bush is expected to arrive in Israel this afternoon where he will be received at the airport by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and other Israeli senior officials. Peres and Bush will deliver short statements than the US President will travel by helicopter with Peres and Olmert to Jerusalem. Then, he will head to his wing at King David Hotel for some time and then he will meet with Mayor of Jerusalem Uri Lublianski. After that, he will head to the Israeli President's Headquarters to meet with Peres. After some events that include a performance by Jewish and Arab children, Bush will head to the Israeli PM Office to meet with Olmert at a dinner banquet.

US President Bush is expected to meet on Thursday morning with the two sons of former Israeli PM Sharon and then he will travel to Ramallah to meet with President Abbas and PM Salam Fayyad. After that, he is expected to visit the city of Bethlehem to be followed by another working meeting with Olmert in Jerusalem at a dinner banquet in the presence of Israeli FM Livni and Defense Minister Barak.

On Friday morning, he is expected to meet with the Quartet Committee Envoy Blair before he visits Yad Vashem Museum. After that, he will travel in his helicopter to the Galilee to visit the Church of Capernaum.

Bush will leave around noon on Friday to the Gulf area which will be his second station in his 8-day tour in the Middle East region.

Published at Al Quds NewsPaper on January 9, 2008