Israeli leaders expressed their satisfaction on Thursday at the reelection of US President George W. Bush, confident of four more years of support from Israel's best-ever friend in the White House.
However, some ministers cautioned that the unprecedented backing accorded to the Jewish state during Bush's first term may be tempered now that he has no need to court votes for a further election.
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Bush had proved himself to be Israel's staunchest supporter since coming to power in 2000.
"He has led the war against terrorism, especially Palestinian terrorism, and he has refused any contacts with [Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat," Olmert told public radio.
"All this reflects the fact that he is the most friendly president toward Israel that we have ever had."
Foreign minister Silvan Shalom also hailed Bush's victory, expressing hope that he would "complete the circle of peace and deliver a better future to all peoples of the region."
Justice minister Tommy Lapid was also heartened by Bush's reelection but sounded a note of caution.
"There's no doubt that relations with Bush will be less rosy than they are at the moment. It could be that Bush in his second term will... want to pursue measures to satisfy certain parties who are not in our circle of friends."
Immigration absorption minister Tzipi Livni also warned that Bush may now try to improve his ties with the United Nations and the European Union, seen as much less supportive of Israel than the United States.
"We can also expect the Americans to lose patience and demand that the government immediately respects its obligations to dismantle the outposts," she said.
Under the terms of the road map peace plan - sponsored by the US, United Nations, European Union, and Russia - Israel is obliged to dismantle all the unauthorized 'wildcat' settlements that are dotted around the West Bank.
However, no more than a handful of the outposts, which number nearly 100, have been dismantled since the road map was launched last year.
PARIS - The Palestinian Authority said on Wednesday that it is ready to work with the new administration as long as it is prepared to push forward the Middle East peace process. "The only thing we are interested in is seeing an administration that will work to advance the peace process... to allow the creation of a Palestinian state," said Nabil Abu Rudeina, senior advisor to Arafat.
Israel delighted by Bush win, wary of cooling ties
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