Sharon rejects Gaza referendum

JEWISH settler leaders failed in a rare meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday to persuade him to back their proposal to put his planned Gaza withdrawal to a national referendum.

“He said he totally rejected the demand for a referendum,” Yehoshua Mor-Yosef of the umbrella YESHA Council of Jewish settlements told reporters outside Mr Sharon’s office.

In a statement, the group described the meeting as a “disgrace”. It said Mr Sharon, once seen by YESHA as the champion of settlement on land captured in the 1967 Middle East war, is “a closed-minded prime minister” leading Israel into division.