The Obama administration's special Mideast envoy will be huddling with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, hoping to wring an agreement on Jewish West Bank settlements that would get moribund peace talks back on track, AP reported.
George Mitchell's first meeting on Tuesday will be with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Talks are expected to focus on Netanyahu's plans to go ahead with the construction of some 3,000 apartments in Jewish West Bank settlements.
Netanyahu says he is willing to suspend other new construction for a limited time, but won't halt projects that already have been approved.
The U.S. and the Palestinians are demanding a total freeze of Israeli construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim those lands as part of a future state.
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