Sharon jeered over settlements for peace offer

Israel would withdraw from some Jewish settlements in a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said tonight at a convention of his hard-line Likud Party.

Speaking above boos and catcalls, Sharon said Israel would agree to formation of a Palestinian state in negotiations dictated by the road map peace plan.

However, he declared that if there is no progress toward peace in the coming months, he would order a unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians that would include moving some Jewish settlements for security reasons.

Many members of the Likud Party Central Committee reject the idea of a Palestinian state and oppose removal of any of the 150 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Sharon scolded the party activists, saying in Tel Aviv that as prime minister, he had the responsibility to listen to all the opposing views and then make decisions. “I will carry them out,” he said, staring at his critics. “I will carry them out.”