Sharon party will reject Gaza plan - polls

Israel’s ruling Likud Party will reject Ariel Sharon’s proposal to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements, according to polls published today.

The referendum among 200,000 Likud members is set for Sunday.

Sharon said in an interview that he considers the referendum a personal vote of confidence, but stopped short of saying he would resign.

Two polls published today in Israeli newspapers indicated a significant shift of opinion among Likud voters against the disengagement plan.

A survey in the Maariv daily indicated that 45% of party members oppose it, with 42% in support. Thirteen per cent said they were undecided.

A poll by the Dahaf company in the Yediot Ahronot daily showed 47% are against the plan, with just 39% in favour. Fourteen per cent were undecided.

Support for the withdrawal dropped from 54% two weeks ago to 49% last week, in polls conducted by the Dahaf company.

Sharon warned Likud voters that a “no” vote would have dire consequences, suggesting it could force the party out of power, but stopping short of saying he would resign in case of defeat. “You can’t be for me, but be against my plan,” Sharon told Israel Radio.

“Whoever wants me understands that only in this way can I fulfil my promise to bring peace and security. Whoever believes in me must vote for the disengagement plan…Whoever supports me must vote for the plan,” Sharon said.

“I don’t even want to think of another situation,” he said when asked what he would do if he lost.

Sharon was to meet with advisers at his office later today. Yesterday, he personally called Likud officials and sent allies around the country to whip up support.

Also today, a remote-controlled bomb went off in the house of the Gaza police chief, Ghazi Jabali, destroying the ground flour. 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.

The blast was apparently the result of internal Palestinian rivalries, which have turned violent in recent months. In February, a policeman was killed and 10 were wounded in a shootout at Jabali’s Gaza office, attributed to a clash with backers of rival Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan.