Ideally, Bush would like to see an independent Palestinian state before his term ends in January 2009 - Je TT 09.01.2008 10 UTC

US president Geroge W Bush is on his first trip to Israel and the West Bank to push ahead Middle East peace talks. Ideally, Bush would like to see an independent Palestinian state before his term ends in January 2009. But many pundits think it's premature to expect big results, and they question whether Washington is in the right position at the moment to act as a negotiator. The tensions with Iran and the controversial situation in Iraq make things difficult for the US. Some feel the Europeans would make better mediators.