Sharon Takes Tough Line on Referendum Rebels

Ariel Sharon brushed aside threats to bring down his government from four cabinet ministers yesterday who have said they will resign unless he holds a referendum on the removal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and a section of the West Bank.

The Israeli prime minister told the newspaper Ha'aretz that he was standing by his refusal to call a referendum on his "unilateral disengagement plan" because it would be divisive and delay the pullout by a year.

"I will never give in to pressures and threats, and I won't accept any ultimatums," he said. "My position on the referendum is unchanged. I am opposed because it will lead to terrible tensions and a rift among the public."

An Israeli newspaper opinion poll published yesterday shows that half the voters favour a referendum and 59% would vote to pull out of Gaza if one were held.

Shortly after the Israeli parliament voted on Tuesday to back the withdrawal plan, the four ministers said they would resign in a fortnight if there was no referendum.

They are led by the prime minister's chief rival in the ruling Likud party, Binyamin Netanyahu, the finance minister, who could decide to use his resignation to launch a leadership challenge against Mr Sharon.

Mr Netanyahu and the other ministers backed disengagement in the parliamentary vote but came close to abstaining until the prime minister threatened to sack them.

Mr Sharon may not be disappointed to see the ministers go. It is widely considered that he will have to form a new coalition in the coming weeks because Likud has split over the plan. His most attractive partner is the opposition Labour party, which strongly opposes Mr Netanyahu's austere economic policies.

If the four ministers leave their posts it would remove a major obstacle to the opposition joining the government and save Mr Sharon the political grief of having to fire some ministers from his own party to make way for Labour ministers.

About 40 Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles moved into the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin yesterday, exchanging fire with Palestinian militants. There were no initial reports of injuries.

Military officials said that the raid was intended to root out Palestinian militants in the camp and was expected to last several days. Israel has frequently raided West Bank towns and refugee camps during the past four years of the fighting.