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.