Sharon predicts trouble if withdrawal is rejected

Hamas took responsibility for a blast that wounded four Israeli soldiers.
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned of dire consequences if the Likud Party rejects his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank, saying a "no vote" would be a victory for terrorism and hurt relations with the United States.
In television interviews on Israel's independence day Tuesday, Sharon sought to reassure skeptics of his "unilateral disengagement" plan. He said Israel's response to Palestinian violence after a pullout from the Gaza Strip would be even harsher than its present military operations.
Today, four Israeli soldiers were wounded when a stolen Israeli jeep loaded with explosives blew up near the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.
The militant Hamas group took responsibility for the attack. It said the jeep was driven by Tareq Hamid, 23, from the nearby Nusseirat refugee camp, who was killed in the explosion. The military spokeswoman said two of the Israeli wounded were in critical condition.
Sharon told Channel 10 TV Tuesday that after a withdrawal, Palestinians could no longer explain violence by saying that Israel was occupying their land, "and Israel's responses [to violence] would be much harsher."
Provisions of plan
The plan includes withdrawal from all 21 Gaza settlements and four in the West Bank. Sharon's Likud Party votes Sunday in a referendum on the plan, and polls predict a close outcome, with opponents saying it would be a "reward for terrorism."
But Sharon portrayed the vote in the opposite light in an interview with Channel 2 TV. He said if the plan is voted down, "I would see it as a victory for [Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat and Hamas. It would harm relations with the United States and would damage the reputation of President Bush."
The White House endorsed Sharon's proposal along with backing Israeli demands to hold on to some of the West Bank and prevent Palestinian refugees from returning to their original homes in Israel. That angered the Palestinians, who also suspect Sharon's real intention is to trade the tiny Gaza settlements for a permanent hold over large areas of the West Bank.
Protest in settlements
Protesting the plan, tens of thousands of Israelis streamed to Gush Katif, a bloc of Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza Strip, to celebrate Israel's Independence Day. Organizers said the turnout was surprisingly large.
Many arrived in buses provided by the settler movement, while others, including many teenagers, marched along the heavily guarded road between Israel and the settlement bloc.
In the Channel 10 interview, Sharon warned Likud skeptics that rejecting the plan would also negate U.S. guarantees that Israel could keep parts of the West Bank and deny entry to Palestinian refugees.
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