ISRAEL: The government of Mr Ariel Sharon last night approved in principle his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the northern West Bank, and the prime minister announced that Israel would be out of Gaza by the end of 2005, reports Peter Hirschberg in Jerusalem
But Mr Sharon will have to go back to his cabinet for approval when he actually wants to begin dismantling settlements in these areas. The decision has left his centre-right coalition on the verge of collapse. Undeterred by the fact that a compromise deal with hardline ministers in his ruling Likud party had watered down the wording of his plan to withdraw from 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank, Mr Sharon told a group of Jewish teenagers visiting Israel last night that the government "decided today that by the end of 2005 Israel will leave Gaza and four settlements in the West Bank. The state of Israel made a decisive step for its future."
The wording of the decision, which was passed 14-7, did not say exactly that. The compromise - opposition has been led by Mr Sharon's main party rival Finance Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu - resulted in phrasing that amounts to endorsement of the government's right to begin preparation for the evacuation of settlements in Gaza and the West Bank, but does not approve their actual dismantling.
According to the deal, which enabled Mr Sharon to put off a leadership crisis in his party, another vote will have to be held, probably in a few months' time, on the uprooting of settlements.
The plan signifies a fundamental shift by Mr Sharon, who was the architect of many of the settlements. Buoyed by the decision, the embattled Israeli leader said after the cabinet meeting that the "disengagement has begun. Israel doesn't intend to wait any longer for the Palestinians. They understand that if they don't work to liquidate terror they will continue to lose important assets," he added.
Palestinian leaders have been sceptical of the withdrawal plan, fearing Mr Sharon intends pulling out of Gaza in exchange for retaining large chunks of the West Bank. Prime Minister Mr Ahmed Qurei said yesterday that the Palestinians "welcome any Israeli withdrawal from any part of our Palestinian land ... if the withdrawal is total and comprehensive, which includes dismantling all the settlements."
The revised plan divides the withdrawal into four stages, each of which will have to be voted on separately by the government.