U.S. President George W. Bush hugs Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival in Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday. (Nir Keidar/Associated Press)

President George W. Bush opened a celebratory visit to Israel on Wednesday, where he'll make a new push for peace in the long-troubled Middle East.

"We consider the Holy Land a very special place, and we consider the Israeli people our close friends," Bush said.

The president arrived in Tel Aviv, then flew by helicopter to Jerusalem for events Wednesday and Thursday marking the 60th anniversary of Israel's birth in the wake of the Holocaust, which killed six million Jewish people.

"Our two nations both faced great challenges when they were founded," said Bush. "And our two nations have both relied on the same principles to help us succeed.

"We built strong democracies to protect the freedoms given to us by an almighty God … and we built an enduring alliance to confront terrorists and tyrants."

First on his itinerary were meetings with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who greeted Bush and first lady Laura Bush at Ben Gurion International Airport. Bush reached in to give a hug to Olmert, who is the target of a corruption investigation.

"Let's go to work," Bush said as he walked to a podium, chatting with the two Israeli leaders about the weather and last weekend's wedding of Bush's daughter, Jenna.

The entire Israeli cabinet also greeted Bush. They lined up and he shook their hands one by one.

"Good to be back," Bush told a member of the welcoming delegation, referring to his visit to Israel in January.

Bush is set to speak Wednesday night at a conference in Jerusalem celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary.

The conference, convened by Peres, includes international figures like former secretary of state Henry Kissinger and an array of Jewish Nobel laureates, including writer and Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel.

"We are proud to reaffirm the friendship of our peoples," Bush said.

Bush also will visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt.