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May 28, 2004/Sivan 8 5764, Vol. 56, No. 36
Sharon's pullout plan faces tough going
LESLIE SUSSER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - Facing a crucial Cabinet vote May 30 on his amended dis-engagement plan from the Palestinians, Ariel Sharon is facing as much pressure as he ever did as a general on the battlefield.
On the international front, the Israeli prime minister has weathered scathing criticism of Israel's latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, which left more than 40 Palestinians dead and dozens of homes demolished in the Rafah refugee camp.
At home, a rebellion is gathering steam in Sharon's Likud Party by opponents of the planned withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.
But Sharon is determined to press on.
"I have been at the front for 60 years," Sharon told a gathering of veteran soldiers May 23. "You know me and you know that when I fight for something that is right and just, I do it."
The main difference between Sharon's amended plan and the one Likud voters rejected in a May 2 referendum is that, under the new plan, withdrawal will be implemented in stages.
The idea is to evacuate the more vulnerable settlements first, pro-ceeding from one stage to the next only after the government is satisfied that the previous stage has created a more favorable security situation.
The first major battle will come May 30, when Sharon submits his amended plan to the Cabinet. Of the 23 ministers, 11 support the new plan, 11 are opposed and one, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, is the potential tiebreaker.
Sharon's hopes of political survival could depend on whether he is able to forge a political alliance with Labor.
But there's yet another wrinkle for the beleaguered prime minister: Attorney General Menachem Mazuz is due to rule within the next few weeks on whether or not to indict Sharon on corruption charges.
Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report.
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