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Occupied Jerusalem: US President George W Bush has said he believes a Middle East peace pact can be agreed before he leaves office in 2009.
Speaking after he landed in Israel for the start of his Middle East tour, Bush said: "I come with high hopes, and the role of the United States will be to foster a vision of peace.
“The role of the Israeli leadership and the Palestinian leadership is going to do the hard work necessary to define a vision," he added.
The first formal meeting of the tour, which will also take in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, was with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who said all sides must take this chance "extremely seriously."
Both the US president and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reaffirmed the 'special relationship' between the two countries.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, described the bond between Israel and the US as "unshakable".
Bush in return said: "The alliance between our two nations helps guarantee Israel's security as a Jewish state".
He also said he saw “a new opportunity for peace” but also compared the battle against extremists to World War II when the U.S. and its allies fought Nazi Germany.
The US President is meeting with Olmert and other top Israeli officials in Occupied Jerusalem.
He will also visit Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
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