Prime Minister Ariel Sharon insisted on Sunday that Israel would only benefit from his plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip, as he prepared to sell the project to US President George W. Bush.
A close aide to Sharon told AFP the premier would hand Bush a written commitment at talks in the White House on Wednesday for the evacuation of all 21 of the Israeli settlements in Gaza and four in the northern West Bank but without any binding timetable. The "disengagement plan" has met opposition from far right-wing parties in Sharon's governing coalition, as well as from within his Likud party which will vote on the project in a referendum on April 29.
"The separation is good for Israel from a political point of view as it will free us of unnecessary pressure while it is also good economically as it will open up development opportunities," Sharon told Israeli radio.
"The separation is also important when it comes to security as this plan will allow us to fight against terrorism without any limitations, a battle we will continue to wage," he added.
Ahead of Sharon's departure on Monday, his chief of staff chief Dov Weisglass and national security advisor Giora Eiland have already left for Washington for final preparatory talks with Bush administration officials.
The Israeli leader has said he will not implement the disengagement plan without US approval, nor without the agreement of his own Likud party.
The party's electoral commission on Sunday fixed April 29 as the date for a referendum of all 200,000 members after delegates at the party convention backed Sharon's proposal late last month to poll members on the plan.
Sharon says he has no option but to implement unilateral measures such as the Gaza withdrawal in the absence of any progress in the bilateral peace process with the Palestinians.
PALESTINIAN KILLED: In events on the ground, Israeli forces shot dead a 36-year-old Palestinian during an operation to arrest his brother near the northern West Bank town of Nablus on Sunday, Palestinian sources said.
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