Sharon Vows to Control West Bank Settlements

Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, vowed to hang on to the five biggest Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank "for eternity" yesterday, hoping to assuage far-right critics of his plan to disengage from the Palestinians, in advance of his visit to Washington.

"Only Israeli political initiative will retain our strong grasp of the large settlement blocs and security areas," Mr Sharon said during a visit to the largest illegal Jewish outpost, the sprawling settlement block of Maale Adumim.

In addition to Maale Adumim, which has a population of more than 25,000 and Israel envisages will one day grow to the edges of Jerusalem, Mr Sharon said the town of Ariel, which controls the road to Nablus, would remain as would Kiryat Arba, overlooking the Palestinian town of Hebron and the Jewish enclave in its heart.

Mr Sharon said he would also retain the Givat Ze'ev bloc, north of the city and the Gush Etzion settlements, which run along a ridge to the south.

Last night's speech marked the first time Mr Sharon has specified which of the settlement blocs, illegal under international law, he wants Israel to keep.

"[These are] places that will remain under Israeli control that will continue to grow stronger and develop," he said.

The speech appeared to confirm Palestinian fears that while Israel is prepared to pack up its settlements in Gaza, it intends to tighten its hold over the West Bank, evacuating only a token number of small, isolated outposts.

If Mr Sharon's plan were realised as stated last night, the Palestinians would be left with a fragmented territory.

Saeb Erekat, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, said: "With this statement, Sharon is closing the door before any Palestinian-Israeli peace deal. The withdrawal from Gaza cannot be exchanged for maintaining occupation in Jerusalem or in the West Bank."

Mr Sharon is confident the US president, George Bush, will reward his proposal for Israel to dismantle its settlements in the Gaza Strip by allowing the country to control the majority of the West Bank when the two leaders meet tomorrow.

Yesterday Mr Bush hosted Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, at his ranch in Crawford Texas. Both men said Mr Sharon's proposal for a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza was no substitute for America's road map for a Palestinian state.

"If he [Sharon] were to decide to withdraw, it would be a positive development," Mr Bush told reporters. "We both are in agreement that if Israel makes a decision to withdraw, it doesn't replace the road map."

But US and Israeli officials said it was unlikely Mr Sharon would go home from his trip disappointed.

Although Washington maintains Mr Sharon's plan is temporary, officials say the White House is prepared to jettison its policy of the last 35 years - that Israel withdraw entirely from occupied Palestinian lands and pull back to its pre-1967 borders.