President Bush will visit Israel and the West Bank as part of a nine-day trip to the Middle East.
Bush will travel to the region Jan. 8-16, the White House announced Tuesday. The U.S. leader also will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
In Jerusalem, Bush will meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres, and in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. No three-way meeting is scheduled with Bush, Olmert and Abbas.
The trip comes on the heels of the Annapolis Israeli-Palestinian peace conference and following the beginning of direct talks between the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams.
