Israel holds off on Wye accord

ISRAEL delayed a cabinet meeting that was meant to ratify the land-for-security pact with the Palestinians yesterday, saying it first wanted to see the arrest of 30 Palestinians suspected of killing Israelis.

It is the second delay by Israel in ratifying the Wye Agreement, which was supposed to come into effect on Monday. The hesitation is provoking accusations by Palestinian leaders that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is backing away from the US-brokered deal.