- JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he planned to evacuate almost all
of the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, dropping a political bombshell
that stunned friends and foes alike.
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- "I have given the order to plan for the evacuation
of 17 settlements in the Gaza Strip," the right-wing prime minister
told the Haaretz newspaper. "I am working on the assumption that in
the future there will be no Jews in Gaza."
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- Sharon, once considered the godfather of the settlement
movement, later spelled out his intentions in a closed-door meeting of
his pro-settler Likud party, but gave no time frame.
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- It was the first time Sharon had revealed plans for such
a far-reaching withdrawal from territories Israel seized in the 1967 Middle
East war, and sparked immediate outrage from settler leaders. "I am
in shock," Likud legislator Yehiel Hazan said.
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- Sharon's move appeared aimed at showing Washington, Israel's
chief ally, he is serious about moving ahead with a "disengagement"
strategy he has been working on for months before he presents it at the
White House later this month.
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- "Usually when the Israeli government speaks about
evacuation of settlements, it aims only at public relations," Palestinian
cabinet member Saeb Erekat told Reuters. "If Israel wants to leave
Gaza...no Palestinian will stand in its way."
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- The surprise announcement came amid a surge in Israeli-
Palestinian violence over the past week that has cast further doubt on
the chances of reviving a U.S.-backed peace "road map."
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- Despite the bloodshed, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed
Qurie said preparations were under way for his first summit with Sharon
since taking office in November.
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- Shortly after Qurie spoke, Sharon's words appeared on
the Haaretz Web site, calling for evacuation of what he described as "problem"
settlements in Gaza.
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- His plan called for removal of all but two or three enclaves
in the 360-square-km (139-square-mile) strip where more than a million
Palestinian live in grinding poverty.
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- Opinion polls show a strong majority of Israelis willing
to part with Gaza settlements. The largest concentration of settlers is
in more than 120 enclaves in the West Bank.
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- In excerpts from the interview, Sharon said he intended
to present his plan to President Bush during his visit to Washington later
this month. "It has to be done with American agreement and support,"
he said.
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- "We are talking of a population of 7,500 people.
It's not a simple matter. We are talking of thousands of square kilometers
(miles) of hothouses, factories and packing plants. People there who are
third-generation," he said.
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- "The first thing is to ask their agreement, to reach
an agreement with the residents... it's not a quick matter, especially
if it's done under fire," he said.
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- Sharon had spoken in recent months only in vague terms
about uprooting some of the more isolated settlements under a disengagement
plan he has threatened to impose on the Palestinians should the "road
map" fail.
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- He has made clear, however, that such an arrangement
would leave Palestinians with less land than they seek for a state.
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- A Gaza settler spokesman called Sharon's comments "miserable"
and vowed that the nationalist camp would work "to cut short Sharon's
term as prime minister through legal means."
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- "We call on Sharon to immediately return to his
old, good positions and not to bring another tragedy to the people of Israel
through the expulsion of Jews from their homes," he said.
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- In violence early Monday, a Palestinian militant who
lost his legs and an arm to an Israeli tank shell a year ago battled soldiers
who came to arrest him in a Gaza Strip raid that ended with him being killed
along with three other gunmen.
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- Some 10,000 mourners, including dozens of gunmen firing
into the air, later marched in funeral processions for the four gunmen.
"Sharon, prepare body bags. Blood for blood," the crowd chanted.
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- © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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