Israel's cabinet will vote on a scaled-back plan for a pullout from the Gaza Strip that will mean the removal of just three of 21 Jewish settlements, officials said today.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to reduce the plan to secure approval from key ministers from his ruling Likud party ahead of a vote on Sunday, the officials said.
Likud members rejected a plan for a full withdrawal from Gaza in a May 2nd referendum.
Agreeing to scale back his plan by so much means a big climbdown for Mr Sharon, but defeat in the vote on Sunday would have meant a major humiliation for the Israeli leader.
"He's a bit disappointed because he didn't get approval for the whole plan, but he thinks he will in the future," said one senior official.
Most Israelis would like to evacuate Gaza, where 7,500 settlers live among more than 1.3 million Palestinians in hard-to-defend enclaves in the densely populated desert strip. Washington also supports a withdrawal.
Palestinians fear the plan is no more than a ruse to strengthen Israel's hold on large West Bank settlement blocs - far bigger than the Gaza Strip enclaves and with many times more Jewish residents.
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek a state on both.