Palestinian gunmen leave besieged church

Palestinian gunmen wanted by Israel emerged from the Church of the Nativity today, marking the end of a tense five-and-a-half week standoff with Israeli troops at one of Christianity’s holiest shrines.

The deal, which calls for 13 militants to be deported and another 26 to be transferred to the Gaza Strip, sets the stage for an Israeli troop withdrawal from biblical Bethlehem.