Obama to visit Israel and the West Bank

Barack Obama plans to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah in the coming year to press Israel and the Palestinians to make painful concessions in order to clinch a historic Middle East peace agreement in 2011. The president, who set Middle East peace as one of his top foreign policy goals, will oversee the relaunch of direct peace talks between the sides next week in Washington. In order to achieve the ambitious target date set for a comprehensive peace agreement within a year, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the president plans to take a hands-on approach. He will make his first visit as president to Israel and the West Bank to shore up support for the deal.