MIDDLE EAST Israeli parliament to vote on Sharon's withdrawal plan

Yasser Arafat's health is creating a lot of speculation.
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a final break with his former allies in the Jewish settler movement, appealing to parliament to approve a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank in a historic vote today.
The plan would mark the first time Israel has pulled down Jewish settlements in the West Bank or Gaza. It has bitterly divided the nation, and solidified Sharon's transformation from long-time patron of the Jewish settlers to their No. 1 nemesis.
In other developments, Israeli troops withdrew from a refugee camp in southern Gaza, ending a two-day operation aimed at halting Palestinian mortar fire in which 16 Palestinians were killed.
Meanwhile, speculation mounted that Yasser Arafat is suffering from a serious ailment following news that the 75-year-old Palestinian leader underwent an endoscopy to check his digestive tract. Israeli security officials said there is "something serious," possibly cancer. Palestinian officials said Arafat is merely recovering from the flu.
Sharon opened a stormy two-day debate in parliament Monday, defending his plan as the only way to secure Israel's future.
"This is a fateful moment for Israel. We are dealing with a difficult decision that has few parallels," he said in a speech repeatedly interrupted by heckling from hard-line opponents.
Confrontation
Today's vote is the climax of a monthslong confrontation over Sharon's "unilateral disengagement" plan, which has torn apart Sharon's Likud Party and weakened his coalition government.
Sharon was expected to win, but only with the help of dovish opposition parties. Nearly half of Likud's 40 lawmakers said they would vote against him, and two religious parties that Sharon has courted -- Shas and United Torah Judaism -- also have come out against the plan.
Sharon had hoped for a strong victory to silence opponents' demand to hold a national referendum on the plan. Sharon opposes a referendum, which would take months to prepare, as a stalling tactic.
Sharon is counting on at least 65 votes in the 120-member Knesset, with at least 48 lawmakers expected to vote against the plan.
Today's vote is only the first of several required before the plan can be implemented next year. Sharon's shaky government remains in danger of falling over other issues, including the budget.
Still, the vote would mark the first time an Israeli parliament has approved the dismantling of Jewish settlements in Gaza or the West Bank. Opinion polls show that a solid majority of the public supports Sharon.