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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (36742)	2/2/2004 11:50:10 AM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 89467

No time frame for Israel withdrawal...another Sharon sham Sharon drops Gaza settlements bombshell Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he plans to evacuate almost all of the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, dropping a political bombshell that stunned friends and foes alike. "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." Mr Sharon, once considered the godfather of the settlement movement, later told his pro-settler Likud party the proposal he will take to Washington later this month will also call for removing a smaller number of Jewish enclaves in the West Bank. He gave no time frame for uprooting settlements, one of the thorniest points of conflict with the Palestinians. 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. Mr Sharon's move appeared aimed at showing Washington he is serious about moving ahead with a disengagement strategy to remove some isolated settlements and draw a "security line" around others, absorbing large swathes of occupied land. "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." 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 US-backed peace "road map". Despite the bloodshed, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said preparations were under way for his first summit with Mr Sharon since taking office in November. -- Reuters