Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Labor), currently in New York, spoke by telephone with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak regarding the building freeze for Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria scheduled to end on Sunday.
 
Government sources in Israel said this was not a "show", and that while no agreement had been reached, many efforts were being made to prevent talks between Israel and the American-backed Palestinian Authority from breaking down over the construction issue.