MIDDLE EAST: In what would be a move aimed at neutralising his political opponents, the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, indicated yesterday he did not rule out the idea of holding a national referendum on his controversial plan to evacuate most of the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
"It sounds like a good idea, so that it will be clear what the public thinks," Mr Sharon told reporters in the parliamentary cafeteria, responding to an idea raised by some members of his ruling Likud Party.
Mr Sharon's talk of a referendum comes in response to stiff opposition within the Likud to his plan, revealed earlier this week, to evacuate 17 of the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and three settlements in the West Bank over the next one to two years.
Rebellion was brewing yesterday in the ruling party. Ten Likud lawmakers sent a letter to the prime minister, threatening to desert him if a decision to uproot settlements is not brought to the party for a vote before it is implemented. They also warned Mr Sharon they would not support a government that included the centre-left Labour Party.
Since the prime minister thrust his right-wing coalition into turmoil with his remarks on Monday, there has been speculation over whether the ultra-nationalist parties in his government would stay put, and, if not, whether Labour would agree to replace them in a government under Mr Sharon.
Most Labour members have so far reacted sceptically to the prime minister's Gaza plan, pointing to a yawning gap between his words and his actions. But the Labour leader, Mr Shimon Peres, said on Tuesday his party would support Mr Sharon in parliament - from outside the government - and ensure he was not toppled, if he actually moved to evacuate settlements.
Mr Sharon yesterday ruled out this idea, telling reporters that a government reliant on a Labour safety net would be inherently unstable. "One cannot build on this," he said. "The government does not only deal with diplomatic issues." Were he to go ahead with a Gaza evacuation, though, Labour would find it almost impossible not to join a Sharon-led government once ultra-nationalist lawmakers bolted.
By holding a referendum, Mr Sharon would be able to go over the heads of recalcitrant Likud lawmakers and directly to the people. Were he to win a mandate from the public - a safe bet with polls showing almost 60 per cent of Israelis backing his idea of a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza - it would be almost impossible for members of his own party to then challenge him.
It would also help the prime minister contend with the outrage his ideas have sparked among Jewish settlers, who have long viewed Mr Sharon as their political patron because of the settlement drive he spearheaded over the years. Settler rabbis yesterday called on their adherents to fast today in protest over the Gaza plan. Settler leaders, a powerful lobby, were already busy yesterday planning a campaign to thwart Mr Sharon. Their slogan: "Uprooting Settlements - A Victory for Terror".