Sharon mounts bid to stave off defeat on Gaza pull-out plan

IN A last-minute bid to stave off defeat for his Gaza withdrawal plan, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon gave a series of interviews broadcast yesterday painting Sunday's referendum as a vote of confidence in him.

Polls have shown dwindling support for the plan in recent weeks, and new surveys published yesterday indicated for the first time the proposal would fail in Sunday's referendum of the 200,000 members of Mr Sharon's Likud Party.

Also yesterday, a remote-controlled bomb went off in the house of the Gaza police chief, Ghazi Jabali, destroying the ground floor. Mr Jabali had left a few minutes earlier, and no one was hurt. Residents found a 25-yard wire leading from the scene, attached to a switch.