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Decision delayed on Sharon's withdrawal plan


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Ariel Sharon

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday he would give his Cabinet at least another week to discuss his revised plan to withdraw Israeli forces and settlements from parts of Gaza and the West Bank.

The 23-member Cabinet met for seven hours Sunday -- with pointed exchanges between Sharon and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- but adjourned without a decision on the disengagement plan.

Sharon blames Netanyahu, Israel's former prime minister, for leading a campaign against the plan.

Sharon's new plan calls for the Israelis to withdraw from Gaza and portions of the West Bank in four stages. His initial proposal, defeated in a May 2 referendum by his own Likud party, was a unilateral withdrawal. He broke the withdrawal into four stages after the vote failed.

If the Cabinet approves the new plan, Sharon will take it to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, where it is expected to sail through with the support of the opposition Labor Party.

According to media reports, Sharon said the May 2 referendum was a mistake.

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Sharon threatened Sunday to remove any Cabinet member who would not support his new plan, a notion which sparked further contention between Sharon and Netanyahu.

Sharon predicted that eventually the proposal will be approved.

"You all know me, you know that when I fight for something right and correct, I carry it out," Sharon said. "I will do that also on the issue of separating from Gaza, and a few small settlements in Samaria. It is imperative for Israel and its continuing development, and that's what will be done."

The revised plan states that no settler homes or sensitive buildings like synagogues will remain in Gaza but stops short of saying whether they will be razed.

Israel will transfer industrial, commercial and agricultural buildings to a third international party, the plan states. In addition, the Erez industrial area will be transferred to the Palestinians or to a third party both agree on, according to the plan.

Public opinion polls over the last few months repeatedly showed that a majority of Israelis support Sharon's plan to disengage from Gaza.

If Sharon fails to win his party over, he could go to the president of Israel and call for a general election on the issue.

But Sharon may be reluctant to do so; if he does and Netanyahu can muster a majority of the members of Knesset to support him, the former prime minister can go to the president and ask to be given a shot at forming a new government without an election.

CNN's John Vause, Shira Medding, Yoav Appel and Michal Zippori contributed to this report.


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