WASHINGTON: US President George Bush’s twilight effort to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians faces far more challenges than his predecessor Bill Clinton’s failed attempt in 2000.

In his waning months in office, Bush is trying to resolve the intractable conflict when the Palestinians are divided, Israel’s prime minister is unpopular and the US president’s own credibility has been eroded by the Iraq war.

Diplomats, former negotiators and regional analysts said they welcomed Bush’s decision to host a conference on Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland, that he hopes will trigger formal negotiations on creating a Palestinian state.

But given the realities of weak leaders on all sides, none saw much chance of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before the Republican president leaves office in January 2009.

“When Clinton tried ... both sides actually felt they could do it and both sides felt the other side could do it,” said an Arab diplomat.

“Now, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians believe that the other side wants to do it or can do it.”

At the Camp David summit that Clinton hosted in July 2000, the Palestinians were led by Yasser Arafat, the icon of the Palestinian struggle, and the Israelis by Ehud Barak, a former general elected on a peace platform.

Analysts said Bush’s approach may have two advantages over Clinton’s: he is starting his peace push roughly eight months earlier than Clinton convened the Camp David summit and he may have secured greater backing from Arab states.

Neither Syria nor Saudi Arabia has said whether they will come to Annapolis.—Reuters