Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today he would delay Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip by three weeks to mid-August to avoid clashing with a traditional Jewish period of mourning.
In an excerpt of an Israel Channel One TV interview obtained in advance by Reuters, Mr Sharon said the withdrawal would begin "immediately after the [Jewish mourning day of] Tisha B'Av - on [August] 15th, 16th or 17th - I don't want to commit myself to an exact date."
The evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank had been timetabled to begin on July 20th.
Mr Sharon had said he was leaning towards a delay, pointing to Jewish religious sensibilities during a mourning period that marks the destruction during Biblical times of two Jerusalem temples. The observance ends on August 14th.
Israeli commentators suggested the postponement stemmed from fears that preparations would not be completed by late July to provide new homes and work in Israel for the 8,500 settlers due to be removed.
The delay could give right-wing Jewish settlers more time to mount resistance to the plan to evacuate them from occupied land, which US-led mediators hope will kickstart a "road map" peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.