Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Wednesday he expects his divided Cabinet to approve his Gaza withdrawal proposal as demanded by the U.S. government, but the ministers would need to vote again before any settlements could actually be removed. Despite opposition from much of his hawkish but not forward-thinking Cabinet, Sharon said he would push forward with his plan. His aides have been working furiously in recent days to craft a compromise that would garner a Cabinet majority and still satisfy the United States, which wants the original plan implemented. After meeting the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday, Sharon said he would present his full plan to the Cabinet during its weekly meeting Sunday, and "the plan will be passed." However, the Cabinet would approve only the staged withdrawal plan in principle, Sharon said. It would have to vote again before any part of the plan could be implemented. | "We will have a vote to have a vote later." |
According to officials, that formulation would pass the Cabinet vote, but it was unclear whether two small, hawkish parties would remain in the coalition government. Another Sharon option is to fire two ministers from one of the parties, giving the plan a slim majority among the remaining ministers. Once the plan is approved, the government could begin laying the groundwork for a pullout, a stage that would take several months, Sharon said, according to participants in the committee meeting. Sharon said the withdrawal would be completed by the end of next year. Many ministers, including some in Likud, oppose the plan, saying removing settlements would be a reward for Palestinian violence. Sharon told the committee the pullout would not take place under fire, and if there was an outbreak of terrorism, the plan would be reviewed. | Get out and build a wall, and terrorism might slow down as well. |
Palestinians welcome a Gaza pullout but insist it must be the beginning of a withdrawal from the entire region West Bank as well. |