Sharon survives no confidence vote over Gaza

PRIME Minister Ariel Sharon survived a no-confidence vote over his Gaza pull-out plan in Israel's parliament yesterday after receiving a boost from reports that he would avoid charges in a bribery scandal.

Sharon passed his first parliamentary test since his cabinet on June 6 approved his plan in principle to evacuate Jewish settlers from Gaza, a decision that triggered far-right defections that stripped his ruling coalition of its majority.

In a sign that Sharon wants to couple a Gaza withdrawal with a tighter grip on West Bank settlement blocs, Israel began issuing orders to confiscate large tracts of Palestinian land for a controversial new segment of a giant barrier it is building.

However, even as Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie condemned the land seizures, the army said it was easing some restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement in the West Bank, something the United States, Israel's main ally, has long demanded.

Sharon, whose coalition controls just 59 seats in the 120-member legislature, kept his government afloat yesterday helped by a safety net from the opposition Labour Party, a supporter of withdrawals from occupied territory.

Sharon comfortably won all three no-confidence motions in parliament. Only 22 lawmakers voted in favour of a far-right party's motion against his plan to "disengage" from the Palestinians.

Thirty-seven lawmakers voted against the motion and 31 abstained.

An absolute majority of 61 votes would have been needed to topple the government.

Sharon was buoyed by reports that Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz had decided not to indict him in a long-running corruption scandal. Indictment would probably have forced Sharon from office and derailed his US-backed Gaza plan.