Israel freezes plans for more West Bank settlements

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited the White House Tuesday and spoke with President Barack Obama in a closed door meeting.  Mubarak is making a short visit to the United States, during which he has expressed the willingness of Arab states to support a new peace initiative between Israel and Palestine.

Few details from Tuesday´s meeting were revealed. But Mubarak did say that Egypt wants to put aside plans for a temporary solution to the Palestinian issue.  And he called for final status talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

Meanwhile in Israel, the government has decided to freeze the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, following mounting pressure by the Obama administration.  FSRN's Ghassan Bannoura reports.