Sharon threatens opponents
2004-05-31 09:29
Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened to fire Cabinet opponents of his Gaza withdrawal plan and replace them with moderates, after failing to muster a majority during a tense seven-hour meeting.
The Sunday meeting ended without a vote, but with growing uncertainty over the fate of Sharon's government. Some Cabinet ministers tried to find a compromise that would rescue the US-endorsed plan and mend ties between Sharon and his main political rival, Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The plan - or a compromise - might come up for a vote at next Sunday's Cabinet meeting, but even that is not certain, said Justice Minister Yosef Lapid. "In any case, there is not at the moment a clear picture of where the things are going," said Lapid, head of the moderate Shinui Party.
Sharon wants to withdraw Israeli soldiers and settlers from the entire Gaza Strip and evacuate four West Bank settlements. His hard-line Likud Party rejected the proposal in a May 2 referendum, enabling some ministers - who had reluctantly supported the plan - to shift sides.
In a rare interview with an Israeli TV station, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat gave conditional support to the Gaza pullout plan. "When will it come? Will it be a complete withdrawal?" he asked.
Arafat also offered to meet Sharon and talk peace. "Why not? If there is a will for peace, it will overcome all other ideas," he said. Israel is boycotting the veteran Palestinian leader, charging that he is implicated in Palestinian violence.
Sharon told ministers on Sunday that he is determined to get his plan approved, even if he has to "change the makeup of the government or take unprecedented political steps", said one participant.
Israeli media said two ministers from the hard-line National Union party could be the first to go, which would give Sharon the majority he needs. Currently, 12 ministers oppose the withdrawal while 11 are in favour.
In the Gaza Strip, some 7 500 Jewish settlers live among 1.3 million Palestinians, controlling one-third of the crowded coastal territory.
- AP