[Almost EVERY ariticle about Bush's trip to the middle east mocks the President's attempt at peace. Will these authors apologize when peace actually does come within the next three years?]

January 12, 2008
Ed O'Loughlin

GEORGE Bush's three-day visit to the Holy Land succeeded in uniting Israelis and Palestinians this week, though not in any way he would have liked.

As the US President wound up his trip yesterday with visits to the Holocaust museum and the Mount of Beatitudes (where Jesus delivered his famous "blessed are the peacemakers" sound bite), it was difficult to find a commentator on either side who took seriously his push for peace by the end of his term.

"Bush might be serious about it, but the question is whether peace is obtainable or not, and I think all the experts will tell you that it's probably not," said Professor Gabriel Sheffer, an expert on Israeli-US relations at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.