JERUSALEM Sharon OKs putting settlement removal before the voters

Police questioned the prime minister in a bribery investigation.
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was questioned by police today in a bribery case that could force his resignation, and critics charged his talk of removing Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip was meant to deflect attention from the scandal.
Sharon accepted a challenge from opponents in his own party Wednesday and agreed to put his plan before the people in a referendum. Removal of authorized settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as such a referendum, would be firsts in Israel.
Several leading Likud figures have not yet chosen sides in the battle. However, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, a leader of the hawkish wing of Likud, said he supported a Gaza withdrawal.
"The plan of disengagement from the Palestinians is good and the evacuation of the [Gaza] strip will provide greater security to the residents of Israel than they have now," the Yediot Ahronot daily today quoted Mofaz as saying.
Police arrived at Sharon's official residence in Jerusalem today, for what media reports said would be a short, final interrogation before the state attorney makes a decision on an indictment.
Developer indicted
Last month, real estate developer David Appel was indicted on charges of bribing Sharon with $690,000 in a tourism development deal in Greece. The bulk of the money was reportedly paid to Sharon's son, Gilad, for marketing services.
Under Israeli law, a person can be convicted of accepting a bribe only if criminal intent is proved. This allows for a case in which the recipient of a bribe is not indicted.
Appel told Israel TV's Channel Two on Wednesday that Sharon, at the time foreign minister, was not involved in the development deal. "He [Sharon] didn't know about anything that is tied to this, not from me at least," Appel said.
Many politicians and analysts linked the scandal to Sharon's emerging plan for unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians if peace talks fail, including removing some settlements and imposing a boundary on the Palestinians.
"The depth of the inquiry equals the depth of the evacuation," Gaza resident Zvi Hendel, a lawmaker from the pro-settlement National Union and a deputy minister in Sharon's Cabinet, said today.
Feeling of betrayal
Sharon's hawkish colleagues in Likud feel betrayed. Ten Likud members of parliament signed a letter pledging to oppose any plan to take down settlements, and others demanded that he put the program to a referendum.
On Wednesday, Sharon took up the challenge and embraced the referendum idea. Sharon's spokesman, Raanan Gissin, said the prime minister would welcome a referendum because the issue cuts across ideological lines and "has overwhelming support among the public."
Sharon's center-right coalition government was not likely to survive removal of settlements, with two pro-settler parties poised to resign if he carries out his plans. Sharon said he was determined to implement his plan and would call elections if necessary.
Peace efforts took another blow Wednesday when aides to Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia failed again to set a date for their first summit.
A summit between Sharon and Qureia would be vital for resuming long-stalled talks over the U.S.-backed road map.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who attended the talks, said he hoped a summit could be arranged after the next meeting of aides, which would take place "in a few days."
Palestinian's allegation
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jibril Rajoub, a senior security adviser to Arafat, charged that the United States is cutting aid and scaling back involvement in Mideast diplomacy because the Palestinians have failed to find those responsible for an attack on a U.S. convoy in Gaza in October. Three U.S. security guards were killed in the roadside bombing.
"I think this is blackmail," said Rajoub, who enjoyed close relations with U.S. agencies when he served as security chief in the West Bank.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher dismissed Rajoub's comments as "ridiculous." He said Palestinians should improve their security, but added that the United States remains engaged in peacemaking.