Arab League ministers urge suspending political contact with Isr

The nine ministers, in a communiqué, announced Saturday they had recommended all Arab countries halt political contact with Israel. The recommendation is not binding to the league's 22 members. It is up to each individual country to decide what to do. The recommendation represents a significant step in the Arab position. Earlier, ministers had recommended that contacts be frozen, but an exception had been made for those Arab countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel: Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania. Saturday's call makes no such exception, and the move was endorsed by those nations' ministers. Saturday's Arab League recommendation came the same day that at least two Palestinians were killed, according to Palestinian sources.