JERUSALEM, 10 June 2004 — After a bruising political battle over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities yesterday got down to the nitty gritty of uprooting thousands of truculent settlers.
A top Israeli official said the pullout, which has fractured Sharon’s government, is “irrevocable,” as the committee overseeing the evacuation held its first meeting.
In northern Gaza, meanwhile, a Palestinian was killed as Israeli troops moved into Palestinian areas, surrounded a house and flattened farmland, residents said. Palestinians fired a rocket at an Israeli town from the area on Tuesday. The military said soldiers returned fire after an anti-tank missile was fired at them.
The committee, consisting of top officials from the Defense Ministry and other government offices, was formed after Sunday’s dramatic Cabinet vote approving Sharon’s withdrawal plan.
It was the first time an Israeli government has endorsed the idea of dismantling settlements in the West Bank or Gaza. Under a compromise, however, the actual evacuations require a second vote that is months away.
The decision prompted the leader of the pro-settler National Religious Party to resign from the government, leaving Sharon with a fragile minority coalition. Sharon also faces opposition within his own Likud party, which has historically been the main benefactor of the settlements.
With Tuesday’s resignation of Housing Minister Effie Eitam of the National Religious Party and a deputy minister, Sharon no longer commands a majority in Parliament.
For now, the opposition Labour Party has pledged to provide a “safety net” by abstaining in no-confidence votes against the prime minister.
Sharon is expected to court Labour to join his coalition, although that may not take place for several months. The senior official said such an alliance is inevitable. “By the end of the day the Labour Party will have to be a partner,” he said.
Israeli officials said yesterday’s meeting reflected the prime minister’s determination to push forward with his plan.
“He is as determined as can be,” said the senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Following the Cabinet vote, he said, the plan is “irrevocable.”
The plan calls for the removal of all troops and Jewish settlements from Gaza, where 7,500 Jews live among 1.3 million Palestinians, and for uprooting four West Bank settlements by the end of 2005.
