World IN BRIEF : WEST BANK : Delay in Pullout From Hebron OKd

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to delay the Israeli troop pullout from most of the West Bank city of Hebron until after the May 29 elections in Israel, a senior Israeli official said. “We have decided, and this was decided together with the Palestinians, that we should delay any further developments in Hebron for the time being in order not to create a lot of friction,” said Uri Dromi, director of Israel’s Government Press Office. Israel halted its promised troop redeployment in Hebron in March after a series of bombings by Islamic militants killed more than 60 people in Israel. The Haaretz newspaper, citing a senior official of the governing Labor Party, said Israeli and Palestinian negotiators also agreed that Israeli troops would remain in a larger portion of Hebron than originally planned.