U.S.-ISRAELI RELATIONS AT LOWEST POINT IN YEARS

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- President George Bush hosts Prime Minister Ariel Sharonas U.S.-Israeli relations have dropped to their lowest point in years. U.S. officials said relations between Jerusalem and Washington have beenstrained at both the defense and political levels. They said the Bushadministration has been increasingly estranged from the Israeli governmentamid repeated misunderstandings between leaders, rising U.S. skepticismover Israel's ability to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and northern WestBank and the growing perception that Israel has hampered U.S. policygoals in the Middle East.