A trip by George Mitchell, the US Middle East envoy, to the region is one part of a major diplomatic push by the US there.<br /><br />Robert Gates, the US defense minister, will be in Israel on Monday.<br /><br />Although Gates's office will not confirm his agenda reports suggest he could, among other things, lobby for a resolution over the future of West Bank settlements - especially in Jerusalem.<br /><br />As Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna reports, the disputed city has become a key point of contention between Israel and the US.
