The middle east quartet calls on Israel to freeze all settlement activity

The international quartet of Middle East mediators says stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be unblocked in coming days. Speaking after a meeting between the quartet members, envoy Tony Blair said he hoped a package would be ready soon which would allow the indirect talks to get started. Meanwhile, violence has flared up in the region yet again, with Israeli aircraft retaliating for rocket attacks from Gaza and street battles in the West Bank.