US President George W. Bush wrapped up his mission to Israel and the occupied West Bank today, predicting a peace treaty within a year but with no major breakthroughs for his efforts.
Mr Bush arrived in Kuwait this evening, the first of five stops with Arab allies he hopes will aid the fragile peace process and help contain Iran's growing regional clout.
He met Kuwait's ruler, who thanked him for his efforts to make progress on issues crucial to the Middle East.
US president George Bush lights the Eternal Flame in the 'Hall of Remembrances' at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said talks would now turn to "the threats that we've seen in the Gulf, the problem of extremism, whether it be extremism from al-Qaeda, Sunni extremism, or whether it be Iran and its tentacles, like Hizbullah and the part of Hamas that Iran supports."
Gulf states have battled al-Qaeda militants in recent years, but they are also concerned about the crises in Lebanon and Iraq, as well as the stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme.
Kuwaiti media said the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, would tell Mr Bush of his concerns that a US strike on nearby Iran would destabilise the Gulf, key to world oil supplies.
Mr Bush is likely hear a similar message from other Gulf Arab leaders who want to curb their Shia Muslim neighbour's nuclear programme without resorting to war.
Kuwait, which also neighbours Iraq and is a base for thousands of US troops, has said it will not allow the United States to use its territory for any strike against Iran.
"The president will make very clear that the United States takes very seriously its commitments to our allies in this region..," Ms Rice said aboard Air Force One on the way to Kuwait.
Mr Bush flew out of Tel Aviv after painting an upbeat picture from talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas intended to build on a US-hosted international peace conference in November.
Sending a symbolic message, Mr Bush ended the first leg of a week-long Middle East tour by visiting the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus is believed to have intoned "blessed are the peacemakers", and the ruins of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.