Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu canceled Tuesday a planned meeting with U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell meant to be held in Paris later in the week. Instead, Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet with Mitchell next week in Washington.

Mitchell and Netanyahu were meant to meet on a host of issues, foremost being a construction freeze in Judea and Samaria. The Israeli Prime Minister has so far categorically refused a complete freeze on building.