Sharon faces critical Gaza vote

Israeli lawmakers held a stormy debate on Ariel Sharon’s Gaza withdrawal plan ahead of a critical vote today that could give the prime minister crucial support for pushing forward.

The withdrawal would mark the first time Israel has pulled down Jewish settlements in the West Bank or Gaza, and Sharon is hoping a decisive parliamentary victory will blunt calls for a national referendum on the plan.

Sharon opened the two-day debate yesterday with a passionate defence of his plan as the only way to secure Israel’s future.

“This is a fateful moment for Israel. We are dealing with a difficult decision that has few parallels,” he said in a speech repeatedly interrupted by heckling from hard-line opponents.

As the debate began, attacks flared in Gaza, with Israeli troops killing 16 Palestinians and wounding 98 others in a raid on the Khan Younis refugee camp, which began Sunday night, to halt Palestinian mortar fire at nearby settlements.

Early today an Israeli aircraft shot a missile at a group of people, killing one Hamas militant and wounding seven other people, including two other militants, Palestinian hospital officials said. The military had no immediate comment.

Violence in Gaza has increased in recent months, with Palestinian militants trying to prove they are forcing Israel out, and Israel trying to crush the militants to show it is not withdrawing under fire.

Also yesterday, Israel agreed to let Yasser Arafat leave his Ramallah compound for the first time in two and a half years for medical treatment, raising concerns the Palestinian leader is seriously ill.

The vote today in the Knesset is the climax of a months long confrontation over the “unilateral disengagement” plan, which has riven Sharon’s Likud Party and weakened his coalition government.

Nearly half Likud’s 40 lawmakers say they will vote against it, forcing Sharon to rely on the support of dovish opposition parties. Sharon is expected to win today’s vote, but wants a strong victory to silence opponents’ demand for a national referendum.

Sharon opposes a referendum, which would take months to prepare, as a stalling tactic and said it would only increase the divisions and the hatred on both sides. However, several Cabinet members, including Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have called for a national poll.

Media reports say Sharon should get at least 65 votes – and possibly as many as 70 – in the 120-member Knesset, with fewer than 48 lawmakers voting against the plan.