Arab leaders call for boycott of Israel

A stern call by Arab ministers to sever all political contacts with Israel has thrown into question whether recent Egyptian-Jordanian efforts to mediate an Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire will be dropped even as Middle East violence escalates.

It remains to be seen whether Arab governments, often criticised for being long on words but short on action, will follow through on the non-binding recommendation reached yesterday at an emergency meeting of the Arab League.