Report: US will not force Israel's hand in Annapolis

Washington Post reports President Bush unlikely to force Prime Minister Olmert to make difficult decisions during peace talks. White House officials say Bush highly skeptical of Palestinians' ability to deliver

The United States has no intention of pressuring Israel into unexpected decisions at the upcoming peace conference in Annapolis, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

According to senior White House staffers quoted in the report, US President George W. Bush feels "the war on terror makes for a special bond between the US and Israel.
"The president remains skeptical as to the Palestinians' ability to make the necessary concession for achieving peace," added the sources.

This feeling of closeness, said the report, probably means the US has no intention of pressuring Israel in next Tuesday's negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. "The Israelis trust Bush… if they're going to take any chances, they'd rather do it with him, not his successor," said the officials.