George Mitchell (l), the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, pose for photos before their meeting in New York, 30 Jun 2009Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is in New York for talks with the U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell, and the issue of Jewish settlements is expected to top the agenda.

Tuesday's meeting comes one day after news that the Israeli government approved the construction of 50 new housing units in the occupied West Bank, defying U.S. calls to stop settlement expansion.

These units will be built in the Adam settlement north of Jerusalem, and they will be used to relocate people living in the unauthorized Migron outpost.

The new construction is part of a larger plan to build 1,450 housing units in Adam.

On Sunday, Israel's Cabinet discussed the possibility of limited restrictions on construction of Jewish settlements.


Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.