Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he is unsure whether Israel and the PA will in fact reach an agreement by the end of the year - a goal pronounced by US President George W. Bush.
 
In an address to businessmen in Japan, Olmert said, "The aspiration is to reach an agreement by the end of 2008. I'm not sure we will be able to accomplish this and, of course, not to implement it by the end of 2008."

The PM said, however, that Israel is willing to "do everything" to bring about an agreement. "We are ready to make this big step," he insisted. "We won't miss this opportunity and we'll do everything to reach an accord."