President Bush stresses Iranian threat during meetings with Israeli officials

US President George W. Bush's visit to the Middle East and his meetings with Israeli leaders yesterday is the focus of Israel-related coverage in the UK media today. The Guardian, Daily Telegraph and the Independent note differences between the Israeli and US positions on construction in Jerusalem, although the Independent notes that differences in this regard had failed to dent the sense of a strong alliance between the two countries apparent in the visit. Reuters and BBC Online run a piece on President Bush's planned visit to the West Bank today, in which he is to meet with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. BBC Online and the Daily Telegraph note the president's apparent optimism regarding chances for peace. Several papers and online news sources note Bush's statement that Iran still constitutes a threat, despite the National Intelligence Estimate report. In other stories, the Guardian and Financial Times note the recent incident in the Straits of Hormuz between US and Iranian navy vessels. The Times reports on a radio interview by Israeli ambassador to the UK Ron Prosor on the situation in the region.

In the Israeli media, all papers focus on President Bush's visit Israel. Haaretz notes the president's advice to the PA to choose between ‘statehood' and ‘chaos.' The paper also considers that the visit has offered PM Olmert a brief moment of respite before the issuing of the Winograd report on the handling of the Second Lebanon War. Haaretz and Ynetnews note Palestinian protests against Bush's visit to Ramallah today. The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, reports on Palestinian plans to request that the US president use his influence and order an Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank. The paper also notes Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with the US president. The Jerusalem Post and Maariv focus on Israeli concern the UN forces situated in Lebanon leak information to Hezbollah. Ynetnews has additional pieces on PA preparations for Bush's visit, and PM Olmert's determination to continue construction in the eastern neighbourhoods of Jerusalem.

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