Israeli cabinet delays decision on West Bank redeployment

The Israeli cabinet has delayed a decision on how much land in the West Bank it is prepared to hand over to the Palestinians.

A government statement said the cabinet would discuss the issue again after the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, returns from Washington, where he will meet President Clinton on Tuesday.

The statement said the cabinet would then decide on the maximum amount of land it could give up without harming Israel's national interests.

The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, who will meet President Clinton on Thursday, has called on the United States to put pressure on Israel.

But correspondents say American officials are expressing doubts over whether any significant progress can be made at the talks in Washington.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service