Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faces the possible collapse of his governing coalition, awaiting a decision by a key right-wing partner on whether to bolt over the cabinet's approval of his Gaza withdrawal plan.
It passed by a 14-7 vote yesterday but only after Sharon placated mutinous ministers in his own right-wing Likud party by agreeing not to evacuate Jewish settlements for at least nine months and then only in four phases each requiring another vote.
By bowing to future votes of his unruly cabinet for each phase of withdrawal, Sharon effectively left the fate of the settlements, slated for removal by the end of 2005, in the air.
Palestinians welcome any pullout but suspect Sharon wants to swap Gaza for West Bank areas they need for a viable state.
Sharon was clinging to a majority of just one seat in parliament after firing two far-right ministers to secure the cabinet vote. The pro-settler National Religious Party was debating whether to quit the coalition.
If the NRP abandoned Sharon, his coalition would drop to 55 seats in the 120-member parliament. But Dov Weisglass, Sharon's chief of staff, predicted the prime minister would be able to remain in power if the NRP left.
"We hope the NRP will stay, and even if the NRP does quit, the prime minister has a clear political alternative to obtain a majority," Weisglass told Army Radio in a clear reference to the pro-withdrawal Labour Party.
Labour, led by former prime minister Shimon Peres, has 19 legislators. In a sign of support for Sharon after the cabinet vote, Labour withdrew a no-confidence motion it planned to present in parliament on Monday.
But it showed no inclination to join up with him before a decision, which is not expected before mid-June, by the attorney general on whether to indict Sharon in a bribery scandal.
Meanwhile, in Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip late last night, the Israeli army shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian. Palestinians said he was killed by random Israeli gunfire. The army said it shot a Palestinian who ignored orders to halt in an area where militants frequently fire mortar bombs.