Bush flies over Baghdad in Air Force One
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, June 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush flew over Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday in Air Force One, escorted by four fighter jets, on his way back to the United States from Qatar.White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters Air Force One flew over Iraq and Baghdad at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,500 metres) and at a ground speed of 467 mph (751.5 km). Bush entered Iraqi air space and flew over the Iraqi capital at 12:55 p.m. local (5:55 EDT/0955 GMT).
As the U.S. president flew over the city, once the headquarters of toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the pilot tipped one of the jet's wing to improve the view.
The weather was clear and from his window, Bush would have been able to make out the Tigris river, Baghdad International Airport, streets, bridges and parks.
JERUSALEM Tens of thousands of rightist Israelis, many of them Jewish settlers, rallied Wednesday night in the center of Jerusalem and vehemently denounced the prospect of a Palestinian state as set out by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. .And in the volatile Gaza Strip, militant Palestinian groups said they were not prepared to lay down their arms and strongly rejected the latest Middle East peace plan as an American concoction being forced upon Palestinians..