Israel approves $1bn pay-out
2005-02-16 20:59
Jerusalem - Israel's planned pullout from the Gaza Strip took a major step forward on Wednesday when MPs approved a $1bn compensation package for the 8 000 Jewish settlers who are to be uprooted from their homes.
A total of 59 members of the 120-seat Knesset voted for the evacuation-compensation bill in the third and final reading, while 40 voted against the government.
The vote followed a marathon debate which began on Tuesday, followed by separate votes on more than 100 amendments that lasted for several hours.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed on Tuesday that his flagship policy, which should see the 21 Gaza settlements evacuated by September, would not be derailed by extremists who have threatened his life and those of several ministers.
He also revealed that what was initially intended as a unilateral measure was now being co-ordinated with the Palestinians, without giving further details.
However, doubts about the seriousness of Sharon's intention to leave occupied Palestinian territory for the first time in history were raised on Wednesday after the surprise decision to effectively dismiss the army chief of staff, General Moshe Yaalon.
The top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily noted: "The very people who are preparing disengagement are being replaced at nearly the last moment, casting doubt on the seriousness of the political echelon's intentions with regard to the plan."
The Gaza pullout and the recent election of the moderate Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader have raised hopes of a breakthrough in the peace process which had been in a quagmire.
A summit between Sharon and Abbas last week saw both men declare an end to four years of violence.
But Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom warned in London on Wednesday that a ceasefire might "blow up in our faces", renewing calls for Abbas to institute a crackdown on militant groups.