WRAP Israeli cabinet approves Gaza compensation plan
(24 Oct 2004) 1. Wide shot of cabinet meeting 2. Close up Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon 3. Car entering Prime Minister's office building 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nathan Sheransky, Israel cabinet minster "They are going to decide to go for disengagement (in Gaza), but there are many difficult issues which still have to be resolved and I think they'll be addressed in the Knesset and on many other different levels." 5. Sheransky leaves STORYLINE: The Israeli Cabinet approved guidelines on Sunday to compensate settlers uprooted by Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan, giving the prime minister a welcome boost ahead of a parliamentary showdown this week. The compensation program, passed by a vote of 13-6, is an important part of Sharon's "unilateral disengagement" plan, which calls for a complete withdrawal from Gaza and pullout from four West Bank settlements next year. On Tuesday, Sharon faces a bigger test, when parliament is to vote for the first time on the entire withdrawal plan. Sharon is expected to win that vote as well, but he hopes to win by a large margin to weaken his opponents. The disengagement plan has bitterly divided the ruling Likud Party. Five Likud ministers voted against the compensation bill on Sunday, and nearly half the party's 40 lawmakers are expected to oppose Sharon on Tuesday. That has forced Sharon to rely on moderate opposition parties to push forward with the plan, a situation that makes Sharon uncomfortable, his aides say. Cabinet Minister Nathan Sheransky indicated that there is still a long way for Sharon to go on the disengagement issue, both in winning over his cabinet and also the Knesset. Sharon says his plan is necessary to boost Israel's security after four years of fighting with the Palestinians. He also says it will enable Israel to hold on to large blocs of settlements in the West Bank, where most Jewish settlers live. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
