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Sharon throws down gauntlet

In this photo from March 21, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, right, and Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, left, talk in Sharon's Jerusalem office before a cabinet meeting. PHOTO:AP

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told opponents of his Gaza pullout proposal that they are free to leave his government, in the hottest exchange yet over his plan for a "unilateral disengagement" with the Palestinians.

The argument erupted during Sunday's weekly Cabinet meeting, according to participants. It reflected stiff opposition to the disengagement plan from within Sharon's own governing team, where his own party and two of his three coalition partners are identified with Jewish settlers -- much as Sharon himself was for decades.

Israeli security forces were on high alert, preparing for the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover, which started yesterday evening. The military banned all Palestinians from entering Israel to try to ward off attacks. In 2002, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a hotel lobby during a Passover dinner, killing 29.

Sharon has proposed leaving the Gaza Strip and redeploying in the West Bank -- removing troops and uprooting settlements in the process -- to reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians after more than three years of violence. He has said he will carry out the plan next year if peace moves with the Palestinians remain stalled.

In weekend interviews, Sharon said for the first time that Israel would pull out of all the settlements in Gaza, reversing an earlier indication that three settlements in northern Gaza would remain. The pullback in the West Bank would be much more limited -- only four of about 135 settlements would be removed.

Palestinians charge that the plan is a ruse to trade Gaza for a permanent grasp over most of the West Bank. They insist that such moves must be coordinated with the US-backed "road map" peace plan, which envisions a Palestinian state.

However, neither side has carried out its initial obligations under the plan, leading Sharon to his proposal for unilateral action.

Sharon plans to travel to Washington this month in the hope of winning an endorsement for his disengagement proposal from US President George W. Bush.

During the Cabinet meeting Sunday, hardliners led by Tourism Minister Benny Elon demanded that Sharon immediately bring his plan to a Cabinet vote so ministers could decide whether to pull out of the government, according to officials in the meeting.

Sharon angrily responded that the plan has not been finalized, the officials said -- and then pointedly invited them to leave the coalition if they are unhappy.

"There is no obligation to be in the Cabinet. It is very simple not to be here," Sharon reportedly told his ministers. "Anyone who wants to can get up and leave."

If any coalition partners, such as Elon's National Union party, pull out of the government, Sharon is expected to court the dovish Labor Party to keep his government afloat. Labor Party leaders are sending conflicting signals about the possibility but have said they would support Sharon's peace moves in any event.

Giving in to internal opposition, Sharon last week agreed to hold a referendum among the roughly 200,000 members of his Likud Party. Sharon said he would abide by the results and expected Likud ministers opposed to the withdrawal to get on board if the plan wins approval in the referendum.

Meanwhile, tension continued at a high level after the assassination of the founder of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Cabinet that a closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip will remain in effect until after Israel's Independence Day, April 26, to prevent Palestinian attacks on Israelis. The closure banning Palestinians from entering Israel, was declared after the March 22 assassination amid Hamas threats of reprisal.
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