News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has established a task force exclusively focused on preparing for the impending visit of US President George W. Bush, who will arrive in Israel on January 9.

The task force will prepare a detailed timetable and assign responsibility for specific tasks to various ministries, as well as issue instructions. It will supervise officers from the police force, fire department, Jerusalem Municipality, the Airports Authority, the Foreign Ministry and other government departments, and will conduct an official welcoming ceremony for the US president, complete with VIPs, at Ben Gurion International Airport. Following the ceremony, Bush will be taken by Olmert and President Shimon Peres to Jerusalem.

Route 1 will be closed to the public from the airport to Jerusalem, with traffic diverted to route 443.  Over 8,000 police officers will be assigned to providing security for Bush's visit. During the US President's nine-day trip, he will visit Judea and Samaria, as well as Saudia Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait.