Israeli PM confirms pullout delay

Some settlers are determined not to be moved by the government

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has confirmed that there will be a delay in plans to pull troops and settlers out of the occupied Gaza Strip.

The withdrawal will not now take place until the middle of August, to avoid clashing with the traditional Jewish mourning period of Tisha Be Av.

The original date for starting the removal had been 25 July.

Mr Sharon plans to evacuate all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza, but will maintain control over the territory.

"The evacuation will be carried out... immediately after the day of Tisha Be Av - on 15, 17 or 16 [August]. I don't want to commit myself to an exact date," Mr Sharon said in an Israeli TV interview.

Hamas-land fears

In a separate development, Israel's foreign minister said a rethink of the so-called Gaza plan might be necessary if the militant Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, won the Palestinian parliamentary election in July.

"It seems to me illogical to move forward... as if nothing had happened," Silvan Shalom said, responding to a question about Hamas's possible victory.

Mr Sharon is backed by a majority of Israelis over the disengagement

Mr Sharon said three weeks ago he might delay the pullout, citing religious sensibilities of devout Jews - many of whom support the settlement movement and oppose the Gaza plan.

Tisha Be Av marks the destruction of the Jewish temples during biblical times. Jews are not meant to perform many activities during this period, including - significantly - moving house.

Correspondents say Mr Sharon's change of heart may have been motivated by concerns that preparations to provide new homes and employment for the uprooted settlers would not be completed by late July, as well as to allow more time to prepare for the forcible evacuation of some settlers.

On Sunday, the authorities arrested a right-wing Jewish settler and detained him without charge for five months amid efforts to quell opposition to the Gaza plan.

Neria Ofen's arrest and detention might by "the first of many" used against to extremist settlers, an Israeli security source is quoted as saying.

Undermining confidence

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres has said the demolition of settlers' homes in Gaza could undermine the plan.

He told the Jerusalem Post that destroying the homes - as the government is considering doing - could lengthen the withdrawal process by three months because, under international law, millions of tons of debris would have to be removed at a cost of some $60m.

Mr Peres said such a delay would antagonise Palestinians and raise doubts about Israel's commitment to the plan.

Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the 1967 war. Its subsequent occupation of the territories is illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

About 8,500 Jewish settlers and the soldiers who guard them are to leave Gaza and parts of the West Bank as part of Mr Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan. Israel will continue to control Gaza's external borders, coastline and airspace.