Israel backs down over deportation threat
Israeli officials, faced with an international outcry and a definitive ruling by the attorney general, have admitted that they cannot legally deport relatives of suicide bombers unless they are directly linked to attacks.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian official said Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres had told the Palestinians that Israeli troops could withdraw from two West Bank cities - Bethlehem and Hebron - in the coming days, but Israeli officials denied the claim.
