premise: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will seek to bolster European support for Israel during a trip to Berlin and Rome this week amid fears here that the United States, its main ally, may soon shift course in the Middle East.
  Olmert will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday and his Italian counterpart Romano Prodi the following day in Rome.
  It is Olmert's first visit to the two countries since taking office last May. Following his meeting with Prodi, Olmert is to be received at the Vatican by Pope Benedict XVI.
  Israel is ready to recognize a "European role" in reviving the peace process -- dormant for six years since the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada -- provided Europe continues to boycott the Hamas-led Palestinian government, Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin told AFP.
   What was caused by fears that the United States might shift course in the Middle East?
hypothesis: Olmert will seek to bolster European support for Israel