Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delayed a decision on the path of a contested security barrier cutting through the West Bank, a Cabinet minister said Wednesday, a day after the United States warned Israel might forfeit part of a USD 9 B loan guarantee package over the issue. In another development, the Islamic militant group Hamas offered to call another cease-fire with Israel in exchange for a halt to Israeli strikes against its leaders. But Israel rejected the offer. The Israeli security Cabinet was to have met Wednesday to decide on the course of the next segment of the barrier. One issue on the agenda was whether the barrier should include several Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank.