Long before leaving for his recent first tour of the Middle East, George W. Bush declared that he would have “a great trip”. Once in the holy land, he reconfirmed his optimism, forecasting that a peace treaty would be achieved this year, before the close of his presidency.

Just how Israelis and Palestinians would end the 60-year dispute, and what pressures the US would bring to bear, were left unclear. Between the adulation he received in Israel and the less dramatic but still warm embraces in the occupied Palestinian territories, no substantive diplomatic progress appeared to have been achieved. Despite Mr Bush’s newfound personal engagement – it comes after seven years of administration denials of the centrality of the Arab-Israeli conflict – both sides to the conflict continue to express scepticism about the chances of a comprehensive settlement.