Meanwhile, marking its sixtieth in Jerusalem, Bush praised Israel as a model for Middle East democracies.

President Bush: “You know, here we are in the heart of a thriving democracy, and yet that democracy, as are other democracies, are being challenged by extremists and terrorists, people who use violence to try to advance their dark vision of the world. I happen to believe it’s an important role of the United States to stand with democracies and to stand strong against terrorists.”

Violence continues to flare around the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, at least fourteen Israelis were injured when Palestinian rockets hit a mall in the Israeli town of Ashkelon. The missile strike followed an Israeli attack that killed five Palestinians, including two civilians, in Gaza.