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Bush lauds democratic, prosperous Israel as a model for the Middle East |
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Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Saturday, 17 May 2008 |
U.S. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush board Air Force Air One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, May 13, 2008, on their way to the Mideast. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Susan Walsh
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JERUSALEM - President George W. Bush say 60 years of democracy in Israel is cause for optimism throughout the Middle East.
Speaking today at the start of his trip to the Middle East, Bush said what has happened Israel is possible everywhere in the region.
The U.S. leader says it would have been hard to predict six decades ago what a prosperous, hopeful land Israel would become.
Among other things, Bush wants to use his visit to kick-start the faltering peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian in an effort to reach a hoped-for agreement by the end of his presidency.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that reaching such a deal within the next eight months "might be improbable but it's not impossible."
Israeli President Shimon Peres backed Bush's optimism for a Mideast peace accord, saying Israelis want to work with Palestinians.
"We are not their enemies," he said.
"We would like to see the Palestinians living together," he said. "They have suffered a great deal of their life. The separation is a tragedy for them and for the rest of us."
Just hours before Bush arrived, however, an Israeli official said the Housing and Construction minister was planning to approve construction of hundreds of Israeli homes in West Bank settlements.
The settlements are a major stumbling block in the talks. The Palestinians demand that Israel stop building in areas they want for a future state.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 17 May 2008 )
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