UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan has joined the condemnation of Israel's plan to expel to the Gaza Strip relatives of West Bank Palestinian militants linked to attacks, saying it amounts to collective punishment.
"The Secretary General is disturbed by reports that the Israeli government have again destroyed the homes of Palestinians in the West Bank, and are considering the forcible transfer of relatives of suicide bombers from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip," UN spokesman Mr Fred Eckhard said.
"While he has repeatedly condemned suicide bombings and upheld Israel's right to defend itself, the Secretary-General wishes to make clear that self-defense cannot justify measures that amount to collective punishments."
The Israeli threat also drew opposition from the government's legal adviser as well as the United States.
France warned that Israel would be violating the Geneva Convention if it went ahead with the planned expulsions.
The measure has also sparked Palestinian fury, and threats of bloody retaliation from the radical Islamic group Hamas.
AFP