Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won vital support for his plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip today when two key cabinet ministers from his
right-wing Likud party swung behind it.
Both Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and EducationMinister Limor Livnat, each commanding a considerable Likudpower base, pledged support.
After securing US President George W. Bush's blessing inWashington on Wednesday, Mr Sharon's plan still faces a May 2ndreferendum among 200,000 Likud members - many opposed to cedingany of the land seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
Under the initiative, Israel would withdraw from Gaza, hometo some 7,500 Jewish settlers and 1.3 million Palestinians. Itwould also abandon four small West Bank settlements.
Mr Netanyahu's office said "he will support the plan" after hisconditions had been met. Those included the completion ofIsrael's controversial West Bank barrier and continued Israelicontrol of Gaza's borders.
Israel says the barrier, facing legal scrutiny in the WorldCourt, is being built to keep suicide bombers out of its cities.Palestinians say its route curving deep into the West Bank is aruse to annex occupied land they want for a state.
Ms Livnat said she backed the plan "with a heavy heart" becausethe barrier would loop around the two big Jewish settlementblocs of Ariel and Maale Adumim. She said she also was pleasedIsrael would be allowed to keep large settlement blocs in anypeace treaty with the Palestinians.
Mr Bush's assurances that Israel could expect to keep bigchunks of West Bank land infuriated Palestinians who werefurther enraged by the Israeli assassination of Hamas leaderAbdel-Aziz al-Rantissi in Gaza yesterday.
Opinion polls show Mr Sharon's Gaza plan is popular amongIsraelis. But Mr Bush's comments provided Mr Sharon with ammunition tocounter opposition from large segments of Likud that adhere toan ideology calling for Israel to settle West Bank and GazaStrip lands it occupied since 1967.
Israel's cabinet will vote on the plan only after the Likudreferendum.
The referendum could also decide Mr Sharon's fate. The formergeneral, once seen as the godfather of the settler movement, hasbeen bitterly criticised by settler leaders and many right
wingers for planning to uproot any Jews at all.