Olmert, Bush, and Abbas share the podium at Annapolis in November. (Maan Images)

1. When is Bush's visit?
2. Where will he go?
3. Who will he meet with?
4. What is the purpose of Bush's visit?
5. What can be expected to result from this visit?
6. What are some possible questions to ask Bush about his trip?

1. When is Bush's visit?

As part of a nine-day, seven-state trip to the Middle East, United States President George Bush will visit the occupied Palestinian West Bank and Israel on Wednesday, January 9, and Thursday, January 10. He will be joined by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. It will be his first visit as president to the area.

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2. Where will he go?

While Bush's exact itinerary is unclear, he is expected to spend time both in Israel and the West Bank. His time in the West Bank may be limited to meetings in occupied East Jerusalem, or he may travel to Ramallah, Bethlehem or Jericho. He will not be traveling to the occupied Gaza Strip.

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3. With whom will he meet?

A three-way meeting with Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas looks to be the major event of his visit. That meeting is not yet scheduled.¹

Bush will also meet one-on-one with Olmert, as well as Israeli President Shimon Peres. He will also have independent meetings with Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. He will not be meeting with anyone from Hamas. He will also not be meeting with any leaders of the Palestinian community in Israel, despite the fact that as one-fifth of the population of Israel they have a major stake in the outcome of any agreement.

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4. What is the purpose of Bush's visit?

Bush's visit is a follow-up to the November meeting in Annapolis. Little progress has been made in negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis since the meeting. Bush is expected to apply pressure on both sides to make progress on coming to an agreement on the final status issues - borders, Jerusalem, and refugees - so that the Palestinians and Israelis may achieve their stated goal at Annapolis of reaching a peace agreement and creating an independent Palestinian state by the end of 2008.

In talks with Olmert, Bush will also discuss American and Israeli policies towards Iran.

Finally, with this trip, Bush is casting an eye towards his legacy, as this newfound engagement during the last year of his presidency comes after seven years of avoiding any substantive involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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5. What can be expected to result from this visit?

What results from this visit depends largely on how much pressure Bush brings to bear on Israel. As international organizations from Oxfam to the World Bank have made clear, Israel's settlements, roadblocks and checkpoints, and its siege on Gaza have made the development of a viable, independent Palestinian state impossible. In an interview on January 3, Bush called Israel's settlement expansion an "impediment" and stated the "unauthorized outposts...need to be dismantled."²

Leading up to the meeting, Israel has made clear where it stands on these matters. Less than two weeks after the Annapolis meeting, Israel announced it was expanding the illegal Har Homa settlement by 307 units.³ Though Olmert has declared Israel will build no new settlements, it continues to expand existing ones and to allow settlers to install new outposts on Palestinian land in the West Bank. On January 1, Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Israel has no intention of removing the hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints that impede Palestinians' freedom of movement in the West Bank.⁴ Since Annapolis, Israel has killed dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip while maintaining an intense closure, allowing only a trickle of humanitarian aid in and limiting electrical and gas supplies. More than 40 Gazans have died as a result of being prohibited by Israel to leave in order to receive life-saving medical treatment in Egypt, Israel, Jordan or the West Bank.⁵

In the lead up to Bush's visit, Israel is lobbying the Administration to agree to Israel's demands of maintaining its military occupation throughout the negotiations process, permitting only a completely demilitarized Palestinian state, maintaining a long-term army presence in the Jordan Valley, controlling Palestinian air space and borders and having the right to send troops into the West Bank even after a Palestinian state is established.⁶ For their part, the Palestinians are urging a timetable for the resolution of final status issues and a peace agreement based on international law.

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6. What are some possible questions to ask Bush about his trip?

Why focus on the Palestine-Israel conflict so late in your term?

What are your feelings on Israel's statement that it has instigated a "settlement freeze" yet continues to expand settlements?

Why have you not met with some major stakeholders in the peace process, such as Hamas and Palestinian citizens of Israel?

Why did you not visit Gaza and what are you doing to remedy the Israeli-created humanitarian crisis there?

Will you push for international law to be the basis for any peace agreement?

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¹ "Olmert, Bush and Abbas to hold three-way summit in Jerusalem." Haaretz. January 2, 2008.
²"Bush: Settlement expansion 'impediment' to peace." Reuters. January 3, 2008.
³"U.S. seeks clarification over Israeli housing plan." Reuters. December 6, 2007.
⁴"Olmert hints Jerusalem division is inevitable." Reuters. January 1, 2008.
⁵"Unable to leave Gaza, patient dies." IMEMC. December 19, 2007.
⁶"Jerusalem seeks Bush okay for IDF free hand in West Bank." Haaretz. January 3, 2008.