Israel has authorised the building of 112 new apartments in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. The move comes as the US announced that Israel and the Palestinians had agreed to hold indirect talks.

Meanwhile, US Vice-President Joe Biden has arrived in the region, becoming the highest-ranking US official to visit since Barack Obama took office. Israel had promised a 10-month pause in settlement building in the West Bank, not including East Jerusalem. Israeli officials said construction was approved before the moratorium was declared.

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