U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell...

Mitchell was to start his Middle East tour aimed at easing growing tensions in the region in Israel on Tuesday. However, the trip was postponed, which media reports described as a sign of straining relations between the U.S. and Israel.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement Mitchell would meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his trip, adding the decision on Mitchell"s visit was taken during a telephone conversation between Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton initiated by the Israeli side.

Israel"s decision to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish families in the disputed territory in east Jerusalem, announced during U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden"s visit to Israel, infuriated the U.S., as it has posed a threat to the resumption of U.S.-backed Israeli-Palestinian indirect peace talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the move as an "insult" that had "undermined

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