The first lady of the United States Laura Bush arrived in Israel on Sunday as part of her Mideast tour.

Laura's Mideast tour meant to promote women's rights and help defuse growing anti-American sentiment in the region following the reported Quran desecration, said media reports.

Mrs Bush was to meet with Israeli President Moshe Katsav's wife, Gila Katsav and visit the Western Wall before heading to the West Bank town of Jericho for talks with eight prominent Palestinian women, including cabinet ministers and legislators.

Back in Jerusalem, she is to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum. Her final stop in Israel is a church in the Arab town of Abu Ghosh, near Jerusalem on Monday before she leaves for Egypt.

The US first lady started her Mideast tour on Friday and attended Saturday the World Economic Forum conference in Jordan, where she told the gathering of more than 1,300 international business and political leaders that women need to have more prominence in government and business in the Middle East.

Source: Xinhua