JERUSALEM, 27 May 2004 — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will unveil his revamped Gaza Strip withdrawal plan on Sunday to his Cabinet where aides say he is likely to win a tight vote. Sharon was bolstered by reports that he will avoid prosecution for corruption.
Public radio reported that ministers were to receive written drafts of the proposal for their review today, three days before the crucial weekly Cabinet meeting.
The new plan calls for a phased military pullout as well as the evacuation of 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and a few in the northern West Bank.
Sharon got much-needed good news when Israeli media reported that Attorney General Menahem Mazuz would opt in mid-June not to indict him in connection with a lingering corruption scandal due to lack of evidence.
Although sources close to the inquiry said no final decision had been made, Mazuz was leaning toward closing the case, in which Sharon and his son Gilad were suspected of accepting bribes from influential contractor David Appel for help in securing a Greek property deal.
Such a decision would free Sharon from the threat of indictment that has dogged him for months and would likely have forced him to resign. On the political front, the situation also looks brighter for Sharon ahead of the key Cabinet meeting.
