Israel's ruling Likud party will vote April 29 on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hotly debated plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements, a party spokesman said Sunday. Seeking the vote is an enormous gamble for Sharon because his hard-line party is divided over the plan and approval is far from assured. Sharon has pledged to honor the outcome and could come under growing pressure to resign if he loses. Likud spokesman Shmuel Dahan said the date was chosen at a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee. If he wins approval from Likud's 200,000 members, Sharon reportedly will seek Cabinet and parliamentary approval within days.
| Hope they go for it. It's solid good sense. You can tell, because the Paleos hate it. |
The decision on the date came a day before Sharon was to leave for Washington, where he will seek President Bush's endorsement of the plan in a meeting Wednesday. A vote of confidence from Bush would give Sharon an important boost. Several senior Cabinet ministers have said they will not support Sharon without American backing. Media reports said the Cabinet might vote May 2, to be followed a day later by the rest of parliament. The extent of U.S. support for the plan remained unclear. Sharon sent several senior aides to Washington over the weekend to work out final details on the agenda of the meeting. The United States has said it supports the idea of a Gaza pullout, but only as part of the internationally backed "road map" peace plan. |