US President George W. Bush landed in Israel this afternoon to begin a two-day state visit that will include talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and others. A brief meeting with Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu has been added, after pressure in response to no such visit having been originally intended. Bush will stay at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and is scheduled to visit the Western Wall, Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, and several Christian holy sites near the Sea of Galilee.
The City of Jerusalem has gone on high-alert for the visit. Journalists covering Bush's visit with President Shimon Peres's were required to be at the president's official residence three hours before Bush arrived in order to clear security, and the capital has braced for crushing traffic disruptions throughout the visit.