Israel has agreed to freeze construction in east Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo for two years, the US State Department said Sunday, following the completion of the first round of indirect Middle East peace talks. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said both Israel and the Palestinians had taken some steps to create an atmosphere conducive to successful talks, including the Israeli pledge of no construction in the neighborhood. Ramat Shlomo was at the center of a storm between Jerusalem and Washington last month when the approval of some 1,600 housing units there was revealed during US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to...