From left: Presidents Mahmoud Abbas, George Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, 27 Nov 2007

The White House says President Bush will travel to the Middle East region early next month.

Spokesman Gordon Johndroe did not provide further details of the president's travel plans.

Official confirmation of Mr. Bush's trip to the region came after Israeli media reports Tuesday said Mr. Bush is expected to visit Israel in January.

If Mr. Bush does travel to Israel, it would be his first trip to the nation as president.

Last week, at a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to restart negotiations aimed at reaching a peace deal by the end of 2008.

After that announcement, President Bush said the United States will be actively engaged in the process as Israelis and Palestinians seek a two-state settlement.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.