President George W. Bush is coming to the end of his first extensive trip to the Middle East. The journey has crystallised the recent adjustment in US policy in the region. Until some months ago, Mr Bush was marked by his belligerent neoconservativism, hollering for dem-ocracy to take root in Arab states while refraining from pushing peace between Israel and the Palestinians. His approach has changed - but doubts persist over what he can achieve in his final year.
Some of Mr Bush's utterances on the peace process in recent days have been noteworthy. In Ramallah, he stated that there should be "an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967". He has pledged to return to Israel in May to pursue the process. But whether he will truly engage - above all in persuading Israel to give up West Bank settlements - remains to be seen.
