"They share an enthusiasm for sports, fitness and the occasional cigar. They are both unpopular leaders, scarred by terrorism and zealous in their warnings about the threat of Islamic extremism. And yet they profess grand ambitions to accomplish what other leaders have failed to do for decades: make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. President Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel have in two years forged the sort of empathetic relationship that Mr. Bush had with the former prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and one that many in Israel and the United States thought unlikely to be repeated when Mr. Olmert came to power. On Wednesday, as Mr. Bush arrived in Israel for his first visit as president, the bond between the men was clearer than ever."