US president George W Bush has called on Israel to end its 40-year occupation of Palestinian soil. "There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967," he said in Jerusalem after holding talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on a landmark visit to the region."Now is the time to make difficult choices." You can read the news here.Bush is hopeful of a Middle East peace deal before he steps down. He even called for a compensation fund for Palestinian refugees. Not everyone is convinced: the Asia Times even came up with an ingenious literary comparison of the president's agenda, titled Captain Ahab and the Islamic Whale. [photo: AP]
