Israel cancels diplomatic mission to region

Israel has cancelled a scheduled trip to Ramallah and Jerusalem by the Middle East Quartet, a diplomatic mission made up of delegates from the US, Russia, the EU and the UN.

The diplomats had planned to visit the region this week to discuss calming tensions and measures to build trust between the Israelis and Palestinians.

However, Israeli objections to the planned visit meant that the plan was shelved on Monday, according to Western and Israeli diplomats who spoke to Barak Ravid, a senior political correspondent with left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz.