Coming under international criticism, the Israeli government reversed itself yesterday and claimed the government’s official policy on controlling Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat did not include the option of assassinating him.

On Sunday, Israel’s vice Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said: “Arafat can no longer be a factor in what happens here. The question is: How are we going to do it? Expulsion is certainly one of the options, and killing is also one of the options.”