Barak, Mitchell to meet again on settlements

— An Israeli defense official says Defense Minister Ehud Barak is to hold a second round of talks with U.S. special Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell next week in an effort to resolve differences between the two sides on Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as neither Israel or the U.S. has made a formal announcement. He said the meeting was expected to take place in London on Monday, less than a week after Barak and Mitchell met in New York. The U.S. wants settlement construction halted completely to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Israel's insistence that building within existing settlements be allowed to accommodate growing families and marriages has been an irritant in its relations with President Barack Obama's administration. After his June 30 meeting with... [read full story]                    

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