Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was in Washington DC for talks with US President Barack Obama Tuesday, 18 August, his first visit in almost 6 years. Egypt is a key ally of the US in the Middle East, and the US needs its involvement in the issues of the Israel-Palestine peace process and Iran’s nuclear programme. Relations with the previous US administration of George W. Bush were strained by the latter’s insistence on human rights in Egypt. Mubarak asked in his meeting with Obama that Israel take “concrete steps” towards the peace process, which observers say means that Israel stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

Obama has publicly called on Israel to stop construction, a major point of contention between Palestinians and Israelis. Yesterday, 18 August, reports from Jerusalem indicated that Israel had not approved any new building in the occupied territories since end March. Israeli officials have played down the fact because of the difficulties it raises within the ruling coalition in Israel. BBC, Jerusalem Post, Reuters

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