Manama, Bahrain ? Vice President Dick Cheney, nearing an end of his tour of Arab countries, acknowledged Sunday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become “a preoccupation for everyone” in the region.

The crisis has blunted Cheney’s effort to build a case for a tougher stance against Iraq.

With Cheney ready to head to Israel, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah  author of a peace initiative drawing support  accepted an invitation to visit President Bush at his Texas ranch.

Cheney delivered the invitation in person on Saturday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The vice president was to meet today with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Cheney has left time on his schedule for meetings with Palestinian leaders, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there were no plans for Cheney to see Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but would not rule out the possibility.

Cheney has said he will confer with U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni upon his arrival in Israel. “I hope he’ll have something positive to report,” Cheney said.

The vice president has denied any linkage between the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and his search for Arab-world support for a wider war on terrorism. But on Sunday, he said the crisis had overshadowed other items on his tour of the region.

The conflict “is a preoccupation for everybody in this part of the world,” he said at a news conference in the presidential guest palace in Manama after a meeting with Bahrain’s king, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.