Sharon puts revised Gaza plan to ministers

PRIME Minister Ariel Sharon will ask his Cabinet to vote on his newly revised Gaza withdrawal plan the evacuation of just three small settlements in hopes of securing the support of undecided ministers.

Mr Sharon apparently backed away from submitting the entire plan for approval because he has had trouble securing a majority in his 23-member Cabinet.

Earlier this month, Mr Sharon's Likud Party rejected a Gaza withdrawal in a referendum, leaving the prime minister politically weakened. Mr Sharon has since revised the plan to split it into four phases rather than withdrawing from the entire Gaza Strip all at once.

On Sunday, the Cabinet is due to debate the new plan. However, he will ask for a vote only on the first stage, which calls for the evacuation of three of the 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza, the officials close to the negotiations said on condition of anonymity. They said three key ministers, including Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, agreed to support the first phase, giving Mr Sharon the majority he needs. Mr Netanyahu and Mr Shalom have said they oppose a withdrawal from all of Gaza. The support of former prime minister Netanyahu, Mr Sharon's biggest rival in Likud, is crucial for the plan's acceptance.

Mr Sharon previously had secured the support of only 11 Cabinet ministers. Eight opposed the plan, while Mr Netanyahu, Mr Shalom and two others were undecided, but leaning to a "no" vote.

There was growing speculation about Mr Sharon's political future. The Maariv daily quoted sources close to Mr Netanyahu as saying he would have the backing of a majority of parliament members if he were to challenge for the leadership. Also, Mr Sharon's key coalition partner, the centrist Shinui Party, said it would reconsider its future in the government if the plan fails.

On Wednesday, an Israeli official said the new plan would see Israel pull out of Gaza and part of the West Bank in four stages. Under the plan, three or four isolated Gaza settlements would be evacuated first, followed by the removal of other Israeli communities, a military withdrawal from Gaza and the evacuation of four small settlements in the northern part of the West Bank.

Also, the new plan calls for many of the evacuated buildings to be destroyed.

The Haaretz daily reported that the withdrawal plan was expected to be carried out by the end of 2005.

In a stinging defeat for the prime minister, Mr Sharon's Likud Party rejected his original plan which called for a pull-out in one step in a referendum on May 2, even though the plan had US backing. After the party veto, the "Quartet" of Mideast mediators (the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations) also endorsed the plan. Polls indicate a majority of Israelis support the plan.

Palestinians have been ambivalent about the proposal, demanding co-ordination with Israel over a withdrawal but welcoming, in principle, evacuation of Palestinian areas.